The Course of True Love
by Unknownhacker1
Summary: When Kel has had it with being treated like on of the guys, will a little belly dancing and some new friends make her feel better? Will forces beyond her control prevent her from finding Love? Is her fate her own? R & R! GIVE IT A TRY! Long but GOOD!
1. Chapter 1

Kel felt her sadness drift over her. The streets of Corus stretched out in front of her, dark and glimmering with distraction for her broken heart. Tears welled up in her eyes as she saw the lights of the Dancing Dove in the distance.

_**Flashback**_

"You lads should be more polite you in the presence of a lady." Kel joked at Third Company. She didn't mind their crude jokes or odd inappropriate comments, though having them talk about the court ladies and what they liked about the court ladies made her a little uncomfortable. Particularly, when her crush, Dom, had mentioned the new court lady and the size of her breasts. Kel felt grossly inadequate compared to the new lady, but having Dom say it was a kick in the teeth.

"Is Meathead around or something?" Joked Dom. The company laughed as well.

"No! I was talking about me." Kel managed to keep her eyes blank and her fake smile plastered on her face. Living with the Yamani had taught her to disguise her emotions to well. Not just behind the mask of the "lump" but behind fake smiles and shallow laughter.

"You! That's hilarious. Your one of the guys, not some… lady" She was sure Dom didn't mean to hurt her like that…but the second the words left his mouth she felt a little part of her heart break. So what if she didn't have a tiny waist, or a huge chest, she was nice looking.

'Nice' Kel though 'what a pathetic word, that's just what I am. A nice looking girl whose one of the guys.'

_**End Flashback**_

Kel had left Third Company after making some excuse about the sparrows and Jump or something like that, but staying in the palace was too much. Tonight was the Midsummer ball. All the ladies had turned out in full force at all the dress shops and made it impossible to walk down the hall. Outside the palace wall, Corus was silent. She could hear a heavy rhythm drifting out from the windows of the Dancing Dove.

She'd heard the rumors about this place. The home of the Rouge. Where George had helped trained Alanna, back when she was just Alan, a scrawny girl in the guise of a skinny boy. Where thieves counted their nights loot, and ladies of less than reputable means drifted around looking for a trick and a good time. She wanted to go in, but felt like she had no place in that world. She was a do gooder. She would be until she died. 'When I die a lonely wrinkled old hag, with no breasts and a couple of scars to show for my life…' Kel was so engrossed in her morbid train of thoughts that she didn't hear the almost silent footsteps that were gradually coming closer.

"Keladry?" Kel whipped around to see George. Neal had told them some unbelievable wild stories about the Baron, but seeing him here, completely comfortable in the dark alley in front of the Dancing Dove, she believed every word.

"Hello, Baron Cooper." Kel tried to force her mask back into place, but for the first time since her childhood she didn't want to be a good Yamani. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that she was a woman, that she deserved love and all of the things that made life a little easier.

"Don't call me that. My name is George. Why are you standing out here all alone?" He moved closer to her so they didn't have to raise their voices above a whisper. He seemed to realize that Kel barely had the will to speak, let alone raise her voice to be heard over a distance.

"Sir, I have no idea why I'm just standing here." Kel looked away as her eyes watered again. 'Damn' she thought 'he's going to think I'm some crazy hormonal weirdo'

"The name is George, Youngster. And I know why. Old George hasn't lost all his contacts in the palace. A certain young Sergent in the King's Own?" Kel didn't respond.

"Come on, we'll get something to drink and we'll talk." Placing a warm callused hand on her shoulder, George led her into the Dancing Dove.

Kel's first impression of the place was just what she expected actually, well mostly. The room was clogged by with smoke and people. Their laughter was almost as thick as the smell of ale, but it was a joyous sound that filled some of the empty space in Kel's heart. Everywhere people were dancing and talking. In the background three scantily clad women danced to the sensuous and heavy rhythm of someone playing the drums. Their hips swayed in a mesmerizing motion and their bodies were clutched by satins and small silver coins. In the corner sat three people. They were apart from the rest. George made his way over to them.

"Hello all." George bowed at the waist before he reached out a clasped the wrist of the man on his right.

"Marek, how have you been?"

"Good George and you?" Marek smiled and offered them a seat at the table.

"Good," George turned to the man all the way on his left.

"Rispah, how have you been?"

"Good, cousin. Coram is well to. He's home with the kids." George laughed and turned his smiling attention to the man in the center.

"Your majesty, How are you?" The man George referred to as his 'majesty' smiled and shook George's hand.

"Good. Thank you for asking. I'm still alive and that's what the important thing." Kel figured that this man must be the King of the Rouge. His eyes moved over Kel and back to George.

"Who is this enchanting young woman at your side? Does Alanna know that you're running around with such a young and stunning woman?" His 'Majesty's' voice was laced with humor when he spoke about Alanna, but the fire in his eyes and he looked her over went a long where toward improving her mood. Sticking out her hand for him to shake she introduced herself.

"My name is Kel, Your Majesty" The King of the Rouge smiled softly as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her hand lightly. When released her hand George spoke.

"What Kel has forgotten to tell you is that her full title is Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, the Protector of the Small." The King of the Rouge smiled gently at them.

"That is quite impressive. Please call me Poet, I am the King of the Rouge, but unlike George here, I prefer to use my name." Kel laughed behind her hand as George glared at the younger man. Poet raised his eyebrow and motioned for one of the scantily clad women to come over to the table. She smiled as she approached. She gave Poet, a kiss on the cheek and smiled at the other two.

"Hello." Her voice was laced with an accent that Kel couldn't place, but it was beautiful

"Alas, Lady Kel, I cannot run away with you. This is my wife, the Lady of the Rouge, Kali." He gestured wildly at his wife, who simply smiled and shook her head. Her eyes fell on Kel and a full-blown smile overtook her lips.

"Come with me." She grabbed Kel's hand from the table and dragged her toward the stairs. Kel followed along confused as to where the woman was leading her. They reached a room at the top of the stairs, it was covered in silks and candles, it seemed like a harem or the sultan's chamber from a book Kel had once read.

"Your perfect!" Kali exclaimed happily. Kel looked confused.

"For what?"

"Well, dancing of course. None of those silly court ladies can do it, they're to thin. You have to have muscle to dance the slaves' dance." Kali was moving around the room picking up scraps of fabric covered in coins and various other silks.

"The slave's dance?" Kel felt like such a dunce but Kali simply smiled.

"The dance we do was once a form of bondage for slaves in the old country. When slavery was outlawed, the dance had already become part of our culture. It is seductive; it's about tuning out your body and feeling." She handed Kel some of the garments. Kel looked at them stupidly, before Kali laughed and showed her how to wear them. Before long Kel stood in front of a full body length mirror, what she saw shocked her. In front of her was a woman. She a breast band that died bright red and covered in swirling embroidered designs and beads of all different corresponding colors, the bottoms of it was covered in dangling rows of small silver coins. Her toned stomach was exposed to the last inch, but Kel felt powerful with some much of her body uncovered. Her chest looked large and her body look smooth in the garments. Instead of her standard issue pants, Kel wore a red gauze skirt, it went to the middle of her calf and the top of it was partially covered in a black coin studded hip wrap. The coins added to the intoxicating feel of the outfit. Every time she moved her hips she felt them shift and ripple. Behind her Kali instructed a drummer to give them a slow rhythm to learn by. When she joined Kel in front of the mirror, she placed her hands firmly on Kel's hips and began to move them with the rhythm of the drum.

"The first step," Kali said as she carefully manipulated Kel's hips to the rhythm. "is to feel the drum and let it's rhythm become the beat of your heart. Then just move your body to that beat."

End Chapter

Please review! This will be a KD but it will take some time, after all the course of true love never did run smoothly.


	2. Chapter 2

The Course of True Love

By Unknown Hacker 1

Author's Note: I own nothing!

Kel loved the feel of silk wrapped tightly around her form. Loved the sound of the drum, like a heart beat driving her into the frenzy of the dance, the sound of coins slapping lightly against each other, their rhythm mimicking the swaying motion of her hips, each was a powerful lure that kept Kel leaving palace each night to enter the Dancing Dove and lose herself. At first, she admitted that the dance was to help her get over Dom. Something to take up the space that he had previously occupied in her mind. Later she admitted silently to herself as she lay in her bed with her stomach muscles burning from the new movement, that the dance was a part of her, something she had been missing since her years as a page. She wasn't sure what until the first night that she danced the Slave Dance in front of crowds of the Dancing Dove.

"Come on Kel! We don't have very much time, the drummers are about to start your song!" Kali called to Kel, who stood starring at herself in Kali's full length mirror. Her outfit never changed as she progressed through months of lessons, but tonight Kali added a sheer veil. It covered the bottom half of her face and gave her the air of a mysterious like an exotic courtesan. The same bright red of her costume and the brilliant gold of the dancing coins were used to color her eyes lips. The effect was stunning her normally dull hazel eyes, snapped and grabbed the attention of anyone who found them.

"I'm coming." Kel's voice was soft and trembling. Something she had not felt in a very long time, fear, uncurled at the base of her spine. Her stomach clenched in dread 'good thing I didn't eat very much for dinner tonight.' Kel thought as she hesitantly stepped through the door of Kali's changing room. The makeshift curtain for their small makeshift stage was closed but Kel could here the hustle of the Dancing Dove. Kali gripped her arm briefly.

"You will be beautiful. Just let the rhythm take you, trust your heart and just be…" Kali smiled broadly at Kel before she left the stage. Kel arranged herself in the starting position. Her hands back to back, wrists together, arms graceful arched over her head, knees tight, and hip shifted slightly to one side. Kel waited. Finally the drums began. Then a lap harp and a violin, their symphony filled the room and Kel felt her heart beat slow to match them. Kel knew the curtain was rising by the increase of noise as people saw her, but her eyes were gracefully closed. Finally she began to move.

_One—two—one--two._ Back and forth her hips swayed, for a moment no one said anything, then music picked up slightly and her eyes snapped open. Her hands flipped around and came together. _Clap—one-two-one-one-two-two. _The pace quickened and Kel felt her body fall into the rhythm. She felt the life of the dance and the room fill her. All of the eyes were on her, she felt powerful. Not like when she was on Peachblossom's back or when she knew that she had a competition won, or even like her time as commander of Haven or New Hope. Powerful as a woman. Powerful enough to bring anyone to their knees. Confident, brave, strong, beautiful. Kel stumbled slightly at the last thought. 'Beautiful?' Kel thought as she recovered and began moving her hips in a slow sensual circle. She felt her muscles begin to burn and felt her lungs seeking more air. She loved it, this was beauty. Not court ladies and fancy dress. This moment of power and pure humanity. The drums began to slow and Kel slowed to match them, the violin and lap harp dropped away, until all that remained was the sound of the drum pounding in tune with her heart. Abruptly the music stopped. Kel bowed as the room exploded in thunderous applause. When the curtain dropped Kali rushed to find Kel.

"You were incredible!" Kali wrapped her arms around Kel tightly before she stepped back.

"But I stumbled." Kali waved her hand back and forth in the air.

"So! You brought the whole house to their feet. They love you…"

Kel barely remember the rest of the night. She vaguely remembered Poet asking Marek to escort her back to the palace because she was so dazed. It was this daze that stopped her from remembering that she needed to change back into normal clothes. After taking of Marek cloak, which had kept Kel warm thought the dark cold Corus streets, Kel entered the palace with nothing more than a breathy thank you and her dancing clothes. It wasn't until she heard a voice down the corridor yelling her name that she left her dazed state. Dom, the object of her love and lamenting, was briskly walking toward her. The closer he got the more confused he grew.

"I'm sorry gentle Lady, I though you were a friend of mine." Dom bowed and started away, before Kel spoke.

"You really are stupid! I can't believe you. I hate you!" Kel's eyes filled with tears as she ripped the veil from the bottom of her face. Dom's eye widened.

"You….You…I hope I never see you again!" Kel opened her door with trembling hands and slammed it closed behind her.

"Kel?" Was all Dom said as he walked back down the hall.

The next morning their orders came in. Boarder patrol. Third Company plus Kel and Neal were to ride out and patrol the boarder of Scanra. Kel had three hours to pack and then they were to leave. She packed as quickly as she could and with her remaining time she road to the dancing dove. During the day the bar and Inn were much quieter but the bar keep, Cat's Eye, fetched Poet and Kali for her without her saying a word.

Kel waited silently for them to arrive. When they did they sat at Poet's table in the dark back corner of the room and spoke.

"I have to leave. I'm on boarder patrol." Kel's voice quivered as she thought of being on the road with Dom for the next two months.

"This won't do. It simply won't do." Kali puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

"Darlin', What won't do?" Poet asked in his soft southern Tortallan drawl.

"If she leaves for that long she'll get rusty and we'll be forced to start all over again, then she won't get to join the drum circle, and she won't get to dance with us at the festival, and I won't get to introduce her to the player circle because we'll be so busy relearning everything and…" Poet cut of his wife by lightly placing his hand over her mouth.

"There is nothing you can do, my sweet, so why fret?" Poet moved his hand and looked at Kel.

"You are a good person, I'm glad to count you as my friend…I've got something for you." Poet smiled and left the table. Kel looked over at Kali and her eyes began to fill with tears. Kali moved closer and threw her arm around Kel's shoulders.

"What's wrong, Kel?" Kali's concern made Kel cry harder.

"I started dancing to help me get over this guy I've been in love with since I was a Squire. He saw me in my dance outfit when I came home last night, he didn't recognize me. Like, suddenly because I was a girl, he couldn't tell that it was me, and now I'm going patrol with him." Kel felt desperation weight on her shoulders.

Poet rejoined them at the table, he raised an eyebrow at Kali, but said nothing. When Kel had calmed some he set down a small drum and a medallion with the symbol of the Rogue on it. Kel looked at both.

"This was you can practice the rhythm on the road and if you meet any other of the Rogue you can talk to them without fear of losing your life or purse." Kel smiled at him and Kali.

"Thank you so much for everything."

"That's what friends are for…" Kali said as she moved to stand beside her husband.

An hour later Kel road from the palace gates with the rest of the patrol. Around her neck was the coin sized medallion of the Rogue and from her saddle bag hug the small drum that Poet had given her. She hadn't spoken to Dom at all, which confused the hell out of Neal and Raoul, but neither said anything. Dom however was still in shock, and slightly in denial of what he had seen the night before.

"Kel, are you looking forward to two months away from the palace?" Neal asked rather joyful, which was very odd for him.

"Only so far as it is my duty, I can't wait to get back to Corus." Neal looked confused.

"Why?"

"None of your business, Nealan." Kel smiled secretively at him before she road forward in the column.

End Chapter!

Please Review!

Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	3. Chapter 3

This is one of the chapters about the trip to the boarder! I hope you enjoy! I know it's really short, it's just to hold you over until I can write a longer one!

* * *

The trip to the boarder was…well…long. Kel woke the first morning to find Neal in her face pestering her. This of course led her to believe that Neal was sick or possessed, after all,when in the entire time that she had known him, had he gotten up before her. Neal, of course, had assumed Kel was sick; after all, he was awake before her. Needless to say, Dom, who had yet to say anything, didn't aid that the havoc this misunderstanding had created. He simple sat on the other side of the fire and stared off into the woods. The rest of the day had been fairly uneventful, but the second day dawned in a rather different way.

"Kel! Wake-up!" Kel rolled over onto her back and looked at the person shaking her shoulder. Raoul stood over her. Kel sat up quickly.

"What's wrong Milord?" Raoul looked concerned.

"Where in trouble…look around you." Kel's eyes scanned the clearing where they slept. Out at the edge of the clearing was a tall gold and red tent, with thirty guards sleeping around it. For some reason the tent looked familiar.

"Raoul, Wait here." Kel rose from her bedroll and drew the medallion over her head. Walking softly, she approached the tent.

"I would come any closer if I were you."

A rough voice broke the silence of the clearing. Kel stopped and turned toward the speaker. A tall pale man stepped from the bushes. His arms were decorated with tattoos and his hair was wild long and pitch colored. A leather vest covered his chest and his legs were encased in soft buckskin breeches. A naked sword rested in his hand and a dagger was clutched in the other. Kel raised the medallion and spoke.

"Who are you?" The man didn't respond, instead he let out a resounding whistle and moved closer. When he was only a little ways from her, he stuck out his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Knight. My name is Madik O'Abe. His Majesty Poet, the King of the Thieves, sent me. He asked me to escort his wife and her players to you and to protect them."

Kel smiled; of course, Kali wasn't going to let her go. Kel laughed as she slipped the medallion over her neck. Madik's whistle had rouse three other guards from their places, they stayed just long enough to be introduced before they disappeared back into the forest. Raoul walked over to join Kel and Madik a look of deep concern and confusion marring his features.

"Milord" Kel didn't get to finish.

"It's Raoul, Kel. You had better tell me what's going on here, and why you have a medallion of the Rogue." Kel sighed.

"This is Madik O'Abe, he was sent by the currently leader of the Rogue, a man named Poet. In that tent is his wife, Kali. They are both my friends. Poet sent Kali here so that I wouldn't get out of practice," Raoul look briefly confused, but Kel plunged forward before he could interrupt her, "They are going to travel beside us, but they won't get involved. Their primary goal is Kali's protection." Raoul smile tightly at her. He opened his mouth to say something but a happy laugh from the tent interrupted him.

"Kel!" Kali moved swiftly across the space and hugged her.

"Hi, Kali!" Kel said stepping back. Kali smiled and looked over at the people in the military camp who were now getting up.

"Well, if it isn't Nealan." Kali smiled as she waved at an obviously half-awake Neal. Neal waved back slowly, then suddenly came charging across the field.

"What are you doing her Kali? Does Poet know? What about the Whisper Man?" Kali looked annoyed at the questions.

"I don't answer to the Whisper Man. My husband let me go, and you Neal are not allowed to talk to me. We're not friends any more!" Kali smirked playful and crossed her arms over her chest. Neal's face scrunched up in frustration for a moment before he return to his normal self.

"I'm sorry, Madame Kali," Neal swept into a gallant bow, half mockingly, " but my confusion over came my good sense. Just as your good sense seems to be…lost." Neal smiled sarcastically, at least until Kel, who was tired of this ridiculous exchange, smacked him firmly on the back of his head. Neal stumbled and Kali giggled, Raoul just looked confused.

"Milord Raoul, I would like to request permission to travel with the company but to stay with my friend Kali. To help protect her and gain whatever information I can from the thieves in the areas we travel through." Raoul, who was still dazed from these strange developments, sighed deeply.

"Fine, Kel. However, I want you to know that I don't like this and when we get back to Corus, I intend to speak to this Poet fellow." Raoul walked away shaking his head. Kali grabbed Kel's hand and dragged her into the tent, whispering secretly. Neal was still standing in the clearing wondering what had just happened when Dom walked up behind him.

"What's going on Meathead?" Dom tried to sound teasing, but Neal recognized that something was wrong. Decided to confront Dom later, Neal answered.

"That tent and this company," He motioned to the group of players and thieves who were still sleeping despite the previous noise. " Belong to the Queen of the Rogue. Madame Kali. She is as dangerous as she is beautiful, almost like my own Yamani Blossom. Kel and her are apparently thick as thieves, pun intended. Madame Kali has come to travel with us, Kel will be spending most of her time with them. Raoul already agreed." Dom looked a little pale as Neal finished speaking.

"Neal, I have to tell you something…." Dom leaned in to his cousin, "The night before we left the palace, I saw Kel…dressed….in…" Dom paused searching for the words. Stumped on what to call the scant garments he'd seen Kel in, he motioned with his hands and mumbled. "A top like this…and this was all bare…and her skirt started like here, it was all gauzy and puffy. Her feet were bare and…there were all these coins. It was the most shocking color red, but damn… There was this veil, covering part of her face, it was so…I have no words for it. I saw her down the hall and though that it was Kel, but when I got closer I though that it had to be someone else. So, I apologized. She yelled at me. She hates me now, she told me so." Neal looked at his cousin in confusion for a second, before a smiled broke out across his face.

" Did she have a lot of thin bracelets up her arms, all of them silver?" Dom nodded, and Neal's smiled widened. " And, did she have a slim chain around her ankle with another chain connecting it to a ring around one of her toes?" Dom though for a second before nodding slowly. Neal began to laugh.

"Kel can dance the Slaves dance. That's wonderful, Yuki will be so happy!" Neal walked off toward the Rogue's tent with a huge smiled on his face. Dom just felt his confusion grow…

'Maybe I should find out for myself.' Dom though as he began to roll up his bedding.

* * *

Please Review! nad hold on for the next chapter! P.S. I own none of Tamora Peirce's characters (Just figure I should say that again!) 


	4. Chapter 4

This is a chapter for all of you fan girls! And boys! Whatever!

Start

"Alright Men, Turn out!" Anyone who was still asleep jumped out of their bedding at the sound of Raoul's voice. Kali and her players were tearing down the tent and preparing for the journey. Kel and Neal watched for a moment, before separating to finish their individual preparations. The men of the Own, who had been lazy or unfortunate enough to miss the exchange earlier, looked at the other group of people in confusion. At least until Raoul felt the need to clarify.

"This is Madame Kali and her players. They have come from Corus to travel with us. To help lighten our spirits." Raoul looked at Kali, who was covering a smile behind her hands and Kel who was smirking at Neal. Shaking his head, Raoul walked toward Amberfire and Drum. Neal was staring off into space, thinking about something. After he had finished packing, his supplies he walked over to Kel, who was loading down Peachblossom.

"Kel, I know that you told Yuki that you had feelings for Dom, is that true." Kel turned to look at him, her cheeks slightly flushed but her face was otherwise void of all emotion.

"Neal, I suggest you walk away, before I beat you black and blue then force you to eat only Lima beans for a month." Neal felt laughter bubble up in him despite the threat uttered by Kel. Her reaction had said it well enough. Yes, his cousin had hurt her, but she still had feelings for him.

"Alright then Kel, I'll leave it alone." Without Yuki, there to temper him, Neal was ready to cause some mischief. Kel knew that Neal was up to something but she brushed it aside and walked Peachblossom, over to where Kali was waiting for her. Kali mounted a pitch colored mare.

"Kel, I'm so happy I could come with you. It's nice to have friends who aren't thieves." Kel laughed.

"Your rather strange, you know that right Kali. You ride, Dance, and no doubt steal, but you reach out to others regardless of who they are, I admire that." Kali looked at Kel in confusion.

"What do you mean you admire that? Do you think I let just anyone learn the dance from me? Nope…Your one of the blessed few. I would have had Raquel teach you even if I didn't know who you are, but I've heard of you before Lady Knight. They call you the Protector of the Small, " Kel grimaced at her nickname. "The minstrels said that you charged off into Scanra to save a group of common orphans. They say that you killed Blyance because he had taken your children, that is…the children you were protecting. The people rejoiced when you came back to the city, because they felt like you were their hero. In the city everyone has heard of your maid. Her dresses are the most beautiful thing seen since…well forever. She gives you all of the credit. Saying that you helped her open the shop, gave her the confidence, and you taught her how to fight. You faced the King and Queen to ensure that nobles were punished the same as commoners. You treat everyone like an equal…that I admire." Kali's eyes were flashing and Kel felt heat rise in her cheeks.

"Well, I'd rather not have to listen to that again if I don't have to. The truth is, I don't care. I don't want the praise, I just want children to be able to grow up and live in a country where they can achieve their dreams. Where they don't have to be afraid." Kel dreamily off into the sky for a second before Kali's laughter brought her back to the moment.

"You are the one of the best people that I have ever met! Poet and I both agree. I'm glad we're friends." Kali continued laughing even as the company started off into the woods, on their way toward the boarder.

Dom looked back at the two ladies so often that by lunchtime his neck was sore. He couldn't help it though, their peels of laughter echoed through the company. At first the players and the Own stayed in separate groups except Kel and Neal. At first neither group seemed to be entirely fine with the other group, but after a while the two groups had merged seamlessly. The players told listened to the stories of the own and told their own. The day seemed to pass quicker than the day before and fast the most days on the road did. When they finally settled in for the night Dom was wasn't the light hearted sergeant of the Third Company of the King's Own, he rarely got angry, but when he did, he was a force to be reckoned with. The men avoided Dom as he stormed through the camp looking for his cousin.

"Nealan! Nealan! Come out, Cousin!" Neal, who had been lamenting over being away from Yuki, was the unsuspecting victim of his cousin's rage.

"I hate it when people use my full name and you know it!" Neal said as he stepped out into the corridor between the tents. His eyes filled with fear however when he saw his cousin barreling toward him.

Neal remembered when he had "accidentally" thrown Dom from the back of the wagon they'd been hiding in. When Dom's father had found him he'd told Dom that he'd get no dinner that evening because he had been hiding from his tutors. Instead of saying that Neal was still hiding in the wagon, Dom had gotten angry. In retaliation, he first slipped frogs into Neal's bed, and then covered the floor in honey. When Neal had come into his room the next morning screaming about mess and how gross frogs were, Dom had shoved him out the window of his room and into the mote. Needless to say, Neal avoided his cousin when he was angry.

"Come Cousin, we need to…talk." Neal back slowly into his tent not taking his eyes off of Dom. Dom motioned for Neal to sit, then positioned himself in a chair across from him.

"Would you like some tea?" Neal asked trying to lighten the mood.

"No." Dom stared intently at Neal

"What can I do for you?" Neal waited quietly for Dom to say what had made him angry.

"You are going to tell me everything you know about what's going on and your going to do it right now." Dom's voice was low and gravelly. Neal swallowed loudly.

" What I know about what Dom?" Dom's eye began to twitch.

"About Kali and Kel, and this Slaves Dance!" Dom settled comfortably into his chair and waited.

"Fine!" Neal sighed " I know Kali from traveling with Alanna. We became instant friends. She's very funny and very kind. Her husband is also funny. He's a little bit more morbid, but I guess that comes with the territory. Kali and Poet are actually refugees. They don't ever talk about where they're from, but that is where the Slave Dance is from. You see in their old country, one race ruled another. Making the lower of the two into the slave class. A slave wasn't paid, couldn't chose their house, or what they ate. The Sultan, or King and his Sultanas, or Queens would give them food and places to live. In exchange, the slaves would be beaten and worked to death. Women of the Slave Class had it worse than the men. They were subject to their own race's bondage as well as the bondage of being of the slave class. In that country they had things called Harems, by the way I know all of this because Poet gave me a book on it, they really NEVER talk about this stuff. Where was I…oh yes, I remember. These Harems were basically Brothels. Women were forced to sell themselves to get ahead. That is where the Slave Dance came from. To draw men to their Work Houses, the Women would dance. It's a dance about sensuality and lust, about power. You see the slaves realized that when they danced they had the power over the people who watched them. They used the dance to make the Sultan chose them as Sultana, to get money, to entice rich husbands or rich lovers. When slavery was abolished, the Sultan tried to ban the dance, but it was already part of people's everyday lives." Neal took a deep breath and looked at Dom, whose anger had faded.

"Kel doesn't seem like the type who could dance anything…sensual…" Dom though allowed. Neal chuckled.

"Come with me Dom. I'm going to show you something that will shatter all of the things you though you knew about Kel." Neal started walking toward the Kali's tent with Dom in tow.

As they got closer, Dom began to hear a heavy drum rhythm coming from the tents. Neal just smirked over his shoulder at his cousin as he wove thought the tents, closer and closer to their goal. When they stepped into the clearing where the players were camped the drumbeat was so loud and wild, but what drew Dom's eyes was two figures dancing around a roaring fire. Neal stepped closer Dom was already ahead of him. When he got close enough to see who was dancing Dom's jaw dropped open. Kel and Kali danced around the flames. Kali was obviously more experienced, but it was Kel who held his eyes. Her movements caused the muscles of her abdomen to ripple. Sweet dripped down her chest, highlighting her curves and making Dom stumble closer. Her hair was pulled back, covered, and just like the night in the palace, she wore a bright red sheer veil over the bottom of half of her face. Her smile was wide and visible underneath it. The fire behind her caused her silhouette to be cast over the ring of drummers around them, while passing right through her gauzy skirt making the long lines of her thighs visible. Dom felt himself fall…right back into the thoughts he though he'd banished from his mind. Just as he turned to leave the circle, his breathing ragged, Kel's eyes opened and caught his. The song ended and Kel walked toward him, removing the veil as she came.

"Hello Dom." Kel's voice was breathy and deep. Dom tried to catch himself, but he couldn't help it, he ran his hand across her smooth cheek.

"Kel..."

End of the chapter!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

New Chappie! Yeah!

Start

"Kel…." Dom paused. '_My brain is broken'_ Dom thought as he started mystified at Kel. His mind was reeling with thoughts of her beauty and the things that he longed to say to her. The foremost of these was 'I love you.' Yes it was true Dom, the playboy, was in love, with none other than Keladry of Mindelan. He couldn't tell her of course, Kel was to young for him and…well he just couldn't. '_It's not like she was going to feel the same and then we're going run off together and live happily ever after raising a brood of children'_ Dom though to himself, but his body betrayed him. He took a step closer to Kel. His breath was shallow and quick as their bodies came closer together.

"Kel…" Dom couldn't seem to say anything but her name. Over and over again her sweet name. So beautiful and unique just like her. Dom knew he had to say something. If he didn't back away, then he'd do something they both regret. He knew that he wasn't strong enough to back off now, not when the object of his desires was so close. '_Say something, stupid. Make her leave or this is going to be an uncomfortable trip!_' Dom screamed at his brain trying to get it to function. Opening his mouth, he said the first mean thing that he could think of.

" Kel…You look..." '_Don't say beautiful…don't say beautiful…don't say…_' "Like a whore." All of the energy drained from Kel's face and was replaced by her Yamani mask '_She is going to kill me_!' Dom thought to himself as he watched the thinly veiled rage building in her eyes. Neal, who had watching the exchange with hope, felt all the air rush from his body. Neal didn't know what to do, jump in and save his cousin or jump in and save Kel from committing murder.

"Dom deserves to be murdered" Neal thought out loud, Dom's wide eyes shifted to him and then back to Kel. He opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance, because Kel drew back her fist and planted it firmly against his eye.

"Stay away from me!" Kel's voice was icy and filled with distain, but her eyes were glossy with unshed tears. Kel began to walk away, but before she could get very far Neal caught up with her. Throwing his arm around her shoulder, he led her sleeping area.

" I really liked him Neal. I just wanted him to realize that I'm female." Neal's face grew red but he answered seriously.

" If he doesn't see that, than he's not worth your time." He hugged her shoulders tightly.

Kel smiled sadly at Neal before crossing the clearing. Neal watched her for a moment before going in search of his cousin.

Kel waited until Neal had left before she took off running. The coins on her belt clanked with each movement. Echoing through the silent and dense forest. Kel gasped for air, taking deep seeking breaths as she moved swiftly though the forest. In front of her she could see the river that bordered their camp. The sound of the river called to her. She slowed when she reached the shore; and then plunged into the water. The water was cold and the current pulled at her legs, but Kel moved forward until the water rushed around her hips. Raising her hands to the sky, Kel began to yell.

"I'm done. I want more from my life. I want to help people. That's why I became a knight. Not, so I could stay at the palace or worry about love. I want to be a stone." Kel slammed her fists into the water around her.

"Why?" Kel screamed her voice horse.

"Because it's your lot in life, Dearie." The voice came from deep in the forest on the other side of the river. Kel tensed her body and began backing toward the shore, her eyes darting back and forth. From the shadows of the forest stepped a crooked old woman. Her hair was matted and her skin was deeply wrinkled. Kel paused in confusion.

"Who are you?" Kel's voice was cool and without inflection.

"It's not important, dear. What's important is that you stop fighting your destiny. If you would just look around, you'd realize what has to be done. There is injustice everywhere in the world. The other gods told me that I was not to speak to you, but I am not a patient lady." The old woman shook with laughter. Kel didn't understand what was so funny.

"Grandmother, what are you talking about?" Kel moved deeper in the water, trying to get closer to the old woman.

"My name isn't grandmother. I'm the Graveyard Hag, girly. You are needed in Carthak, if you don't shape up, there will be drastic and dangerous changes in my country." Kel felt her body stiffen again.

"Why are you here?" The Graveyard Had laughed.

"You don't listen very well do you? Listen very closely. We are not allowed to get involved with you. You are to be the people's champion. You are to be the greatest hero that the world has ever seen. To be that hero, you have to be free from all influences of the gods, well just ignore this little conversation, and you must be who you are. Remember that, no matter what happens you must be true to your heart. I just telling you all of this, because I will gain from it…you are needed in the dark places in the world." The Graveyard Hag laughed softly. "I'm not the most sentimental of the gods, but I sure sounded like that little pansy…"The Great Mother" Anyway, You have to stay strong."

The Hag's eyes began to glow.

"Times of trouble lie ahead. You must find yourself before you can face them…" Cackling the Graveyard Hag faded into the forest from whence she had come.

"What in the world…" Kel pondered allowed.

More to be reveiled!


	6. Chapter 6

Please Review! Tell me how you like the story so far!

Kel stood in the water for a long time, just watching the woods around her and feeling at peace with nature. 'Strange, how I am completely at home in a dark forest in the middle of the night with no weapon.' Kel thought to herself, while laughing. It was Kel's laughter that drew Kali down to the river. She approached the riverbank on silent feet.

"Kel…" Kali's voice was hesitant. Kel knew that someone was coming and was reveled to find that it was Kali who had encroached on her silence.

"I'm really sorry." Kali started sniffing loudly trying to hold back her tears.

"Why are you sorry Kali?" Kel said as she moved to the bank and closer to her friend.

"I told you to give another chance. I was really wrong about him." Kali tried to hide her face and her tears but Kel would have none of it. Using a move that would have made Eda Bell cringe she swept Kali's feet out from under her and shoved her forward at the same time, causing Kali to stumble forward and fall into the river with a cry of protest. When Kali resurfaced, Kel was struggling to keep a smile off her face.

"Well…now you've learned your lesson. Never doubt me." Kali smiled.

"Learned my lesson, Hm?" Kali moved quickly, sending a wave of ice-cold water into Kel's face.

(Scene Change)

Neal found his cousin sitting in his tent with his hands firmly clasped of his mouth and tears streaming down his face. Neal's anger drained from him. He sat and waited for Dom to explain himself

"Dom." Neal's voice was still pretty tight but at least he was calm enough to know that yelling wouldn't solve anything.

"I am so dumb." Dom rose and began to pace the room.

" I love her…" Dom paused and looked at Neal, "But I'm afraid." Dom let out a harsh laugh.

"Why are you afraid? Kel would never do anything to hurt you, she feels the same." Neal's' voice was laced with understanding.

"I'm not good enough for her…" Dom's voice trailed off as he slowed his pacing.

"Why? Please tell me, Oh idiot of cousin of mine, why you are not good enough for the fair Lady Kel, when both of you so desperately want each other?" Neal's voice grew louder and angrier with each word. Dom stilled his pacing all together and answered honestly.

"Kel is…beautiful and so innocent. I'm so jaded and dirty. More of the court ladies fall in love with me everyday, I'm not trying to be an ass, I hate it. I'm no innocent. I haven't been for a long time. Kel is brave and passionate. I'm brave when I have to be but I'd rather not fight most of the time. I have passion for few things in my life and that "passion" is nothing compared to even a small amount of Kel's passion. She makes me want to be a better person. She makes me want to…save the world." Dom looked at Neal desperate for help, Neal just shook his head.

"You are a moron! Before I was just kidding, now I'll have to start calling you Meathead. Do you think Kel cares about any of that? Kel just wants you to see her! You have such a funny way of showing that you care. She was so hurt by your words tonight!' Neal stood from his chair his anger back in full force.

"What could I say to her 'Kel, You're so beautiful that you stop my heart. You make me want to fall to my knees and worship you like a goddess. You are the embodiment of everything that I could ever want in a woman. I want to spend the rest of my life beside you. All of that is to say, I love you, Kel. Run away with me.' Yeah right Neal. I'm no fool. Kel deserves better." Dom had turned away from Neal and the flap of his tent during his rant so when a voice from the door answered his question, he whipped around so fast that he almost fell.

"Yes, you should have told me that. You should have told me that until I was so overcome by your love that I told you about my own love for you. We wouldn't have run away together, but we could have tried to be together." Kel was standing in the walkway just outside of his tent. Dom's loud confession of love had drawn the attention of everyone in the area, but Kel who had been walking back from the river with Kali, was most shocked by it. Neal, who was still standing in Dom's tent, sprang into action. He shoved Kel into Dom's tent, closed the flap on the door and began breaking up the assembled crowd.

"Did you mean what you just said Dom?" Kel's voice was husky and soft. Dom swallowed loudly.

"Yes, I did. Did you mean what you just said?" Dom asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I did." Kel took a step closer to him. Dom felt himself caught in the pull between them. As their bodies touched, he felt a chill go through him. After a second, he realized that it was an actual chill and looked down at Kel. Her outfit was soaking and plastered to her skin. Her hair was swept back from her face and was dripping water down her spine. Her skin was covered in goose bumps and her hands shook as the clutched at his shirt.

Groaning he stepped away. Kel looked at him in confusion.

"I do not want you getting sick. Get over by the fire, while I find some dry clothes and a towel." Nodding, Kel walked over to the fire set up to warm the tent. It was small and contained but it served to take the edge off her chill. Dom returned swiftly then left again Kel began to dry herself and undress.

"You can come back now Dom." Kel said as she finished putting on the warm dry clothes he had given her. The outfit consisted on a thin cotton shirt and soft breeches of his. Kel carefully inhaled his scent, which hung thickly on the garments. Dom returned to her side. He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek, and then spoke.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier Kel. I didn't mean it. I promise we'll talk in the morning," Dom yawned loudly "Come on Kel, let's lay down. Nothing funny, I promise. Just sleep." Kel punched his lightly in the arm and lay down under the top half of his bedroll.

"You know that I should go back to my tent and leave you here to wallow in the cold…" Kel said to Dom as she settled in for the night.

"Then why don't you?" Dom asked with a knowing smile.

Kel looked away for a moment, and then spoke.

"I know who I am Dom, I'm not afraid of that person. You know who I am too… that's why I'm here… because I think you can finally see me." Kel looked Dom straight in the eyes as she spoke.

"I will know you Kel. You will always be right here." Dom placed his hand over his heart. Kel smiled and finished getting comfortable for the night.

Dom watched her settle in and close her eyes before he changed into sleeping clothes as well. As he lay down, he couldn't help but feel as though something bad was about to happen and that Kel wouldn't be at his side for very long. Closing his eyes against the feeling of dread that was consuming him. Dom was tired, so his sleep that night was deep and undisturbed, in the morning when he finally opened his eyes, he wished he hadn't. The sick feeling of dread and loss that had filled him last night, choked him now. Year of trusting his instincts told him what his heart feared… Kel was gone.

Outside he could hear the flurry of the camp, people called to one another shouting to asking if any had seen so and so… or what had happened as they had slept that night, the loudest question is how had it happened without them noticing. Dom felt it as sharply as a punch in the gut or Kel's jab to his eye. Kel would not be in the camp, or searching with the other members of the Own… Kel had been taken.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own anything but Poet and Kali. Enjoy!

* * *

Dom struggled to breath as he dressed in a hurry. His heart was pounding against his chest. 'Kel, could have just gotten up early.' Dom kept reminding himself, but he knew the truth deep inside of him. As a warrior, he was trained to trust his instincts, that little nagging voice inside of him was screaming, 'KEL IS GONE!' Finally, he exited the tent. The second he stepped outside he cringed in disgust. The camp was a flurry of chaotic activity. The tent were the players had stayed was a smoking disaster at the edge of camp and the soldiers of the own were at a loss of how to continue. Lord Raoul was issuing orders and taking control of the situation, but the knowledge that they had failed to protect their own camp had shaken them all. Dom moved quickly toward Raoul. 

"Raoul! Commander!" Raoul looked at Dom, who was still move through the throngs of people toward him. When Dom reached his side, Raoul spoke.

"What's wrong, Dom?" Dom looked at him with wide eyes.

"Kel's gone!" Dom's voice was loud and cracked. Raoul paused.

"I know. That's what woke me up this morning. For some reason I felt like something bad was going to happen. When I went outside to get some fresh air the players tent was on fire and I could hear a fight off in the distance. I ran to see what was going on while rousing the camp as I ran through. When I got to the edge of the forest, I found these." Raoul held up a pair of marked handcuffs. On the side of the shackles was the symbol of Scanra. "I know Kel didn't go without a fight. We found four bodies. One of them was killed from behind, so it wasn't Kel, but the other three. A sword killed them; Kel did them in before they got her. I also found our sentries, the damn slavers killed them. I don't know why they attack a military camp but from what I can tell they've been following us since early yesterday." Raoul handed Dom the shackles. Dom looked at them carefully.

"What…?" Dom didn't get to finish his sentence before it hit him. "These belong to slavers. Kel heard them attack the players and went to help them." Dom's heart broke into a thousand tiny pieces but soared up to heaven at the same time. Slavers had captured Kel, but she'd been captured while trying to save others.

"What are we going to do?" Dom asked in a gravely voice.

"Kel can take care of herself, we have to trust her. There is nothing we can do until you head back to the palace and ask the king. I won't risk everyone's life and future. I'll need you to lead the men back." Raoul started toward his tent.

"You're going after her, aren't you." Raoul paused but didn't turn around.

"Well, I'd better get Neal and pack up my stuff. You're not going alone!" Dom left his commander standing in the entrance to his tent. He found Neal sitting a little ways into the forest at the edge of what was the player's camp. In the dirt in front of him was a sword. As Dom got closer, he could hear Neal breathing heavily.

"Neal?" Dom approached carefully.

"This is Griffin, Kel's sword." Dom drew up short at Neal's deep grief stricken voice and the revelation of whose sword he currently watched. Moving closer Dom gripped the sword at the hands and lifted it from the ground. The blade was covered in sticky half dried blood. Dom smiled.

"Neal, Get up! Kel is going to be okay. Raoul, you, and me are going after her. Look at this sword; it's covered in blood. Those bastards don't know who they just took. Kel will make sure they think twice before they do it again." Dom smiled cruelly.

"If they're still alive when we get them, I'll send them to the Black God myself!" Neal nodded and stood.

"We both will." Dom coolly agreed and the cousins made their way back to camp.

After placing Wolset in charge of the company and penning a letter to the King, Raoul and the others set out after their captures friends. They hadn't been on the road more than an hour when night fell on the land. They traveled for a long as they could before it got to dark to keep going. With efficiency gained from years of practice, they set up the camp. No one had really spoken since they'd left the camp earlier, but now faced with the reality of how long it was going to take Neal tried to break the silence.

" Kel is going to be pissed when we get to her." Neal smiled affectionately as the other two laughed. It was true. They all knew how strong Kel was and they knew that she could take care of herself. They also saw something that many others didn't get a chance to see. Kel when she was angry. It was actually very frightening.

"I am willing to risk it though." Dom said with a soft sad smile. Neal sat watching the fire until a though caused him to jump up.

"Poet is going to kill us." Neal's voice was shaking. He knew that Kel would never do him real harm, she would just put something squishy and slimy in his bed, but Poet loved his wife dearly and was know it do serious damage to people who touched her.

All of the color left Raoul's face briefly before he grinned.

" We can use this to our advantage. Neal do you know the symbol of the Rogue," Neal nodded "Good, this is what we're going to do." Raoul and the others leaned closer. Their faces were shadowed and lit by the fire giving them the look of deadly killers.

* * *

(Scene Change) 

Kel groaned in pain as Kali began stitching her leg. The wagon bounced over a deep rut and Kali accidentally sank the needle into deep. Kel bit down on her bottom lip and tried to find her Yamani self. 'Sure,' Kel thought grimly as the wagon bounced over a rock in the road. 'The Yamani's meditate while doing this, but I'll be damned if they ever have to be stitched up in the back a wagon. The complexion of her face was waxy and pale from the loss of blood, but she still took her time reassuring and complimenting Kali, who had never actually stitched someone up before, on her skill as a nurse. Kel's head dropped back as she forced the pain from her mind. Kel could feel ate growing inside of her. The Slavers had attacked while the camp was asleep and had killed the sentries. Luckily Kel had heard a noise on the way back from the latrine, so with a naked sword in hand she'd gone to investigate. What she'd found would haunt and remind her everyday. It served as a gruesome depiction of why she'd become a knight. The slavers were rounding up any of the men and women they could. Any one who was weak was killed any one who fought was killed. The only reason she'd survived, after charging the scene and killing three Slaver guards, was because she was so strong. Stronger slaves lasted longer and made the Slavers seem more powerful. So they'd disabled her. The wound was long, stretching from the top of her hip bone to the edge of her knee. Kel knew she would bare the scar for the rest of her life.

It was two hours and over two hundred tiny stitches before the wound was closed. Kali wrapped it in a piece of dingy white fabric. Kel didn't look at Kali until she felt a tear hit her leg. Grabbing the hand that was wrapping the bandage around her leg, Kel spoke to Kali.

"We'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you." Kali looked at Kel through her swollen black eye.

"I know, but I'm still scared." Kel smiled sadly. Kali turned away and lay down to go to sleep. Curling herself into a small ball, Kali dozed lightly. Kel watched her until she had slipped deeply into her dreams before speaking.

"I know your scared Kali, so am I." Kel turned her head and looked out the window. The sky was pitch colored, but the Salvers drove on. She could hear the raging of the Vassa River ahead of them. They were so close to the Scanra boarder, Kel felt her chest constrict, not with fear but something untamable and dangerous, fury.

"I won't let anything happen to them. I can't. I'm the protector of the small." Kel lay back against the hard wooden edge of the wagon and drifted off to sleep as the dense murky forest passed slowly.

* * *

End of the chapter! 


	8. Chapter 8

Enjoy!

* * *

When Kel woke, again the wagon had stopped moving and it was morning. In front of them laid the churning depths of the Vassa River. Strangely, they did not cross here; instead, they drove the train along the banks of the river until they reached the smugglers house. Kel felt her body tense. The smugglers, who had helped her friends cross on her desperate search for the refugees and the Nothing Man, were going to help these slavers escape into Scanra with her and the others. The old woman, who Kel had met in the mad journey, caught her eye and winked. 'Something is going on here.' Kel thought to herself as the smugglers brought food and drink for their companions. When all of the guards were thoroughly engrossed in the hearty meal the old woman made her way closer to Kel. 

"So, Wench, decided you wanted to go back to Scanra eh?" Kel grimaced.

"I didn't decide anything Grandmother. I've been captured." Kel lowered her voice and leaned closer to this old woman. "Please tell the Whisper Man what's happened," the old woman nodded "I'll also need a small flat knife, something easily hidden." The old woman's eyes drifted to the dirty bandage wrapped tightly around Kel's wounded leg.

"You'll need a healer as well." The old woman discreetly motioned one of her group to come over to them. When the man was closer the old woman whispered to him. He nodded and moved over toward her. His magic poured into her leg. His magic was pale gold and made her skin cold and numb. Kel thought for a second about Neal and his magic. His dark green fire reflect his lust for life and flare for drama, when his magic was working to heal her wounds she felt alive and cared for as only her best friend could care for her. Kel was so caught in these thoughts that she didn't notice the healer had stepped away from her. Kel was dragged from her daydreams by a ruff object being shoved into her hand. The old woman and placed the soft worn handle of a think wicked sharp stiletto blade into her hand. Nodding at the woman Kel slipped the blade into the top of her boot where it disappeared into the hard leather.

"You can buy one of you want!" yelled a tall blonde Scanran, whose face was half covered by grease and oils from the large turkey leg he was stuffing his face with. Kali, who'd just woken up, inhaled sharply and looked at Kel with fear in her eyes. The woman's eyes widened when she saw her, leaning closer she whispered to Kel.

"You'd best be keeping an eye on that one. The Whisper Man does well to protect those he calls friends, and that lad of hers is no laughing matter either." Leaning away she called back to the Scanran.

"What about these two! I looked at the others, they look like they won't last a day of hard labor." The woman winked subtly at Kel. The man got to his feet in a hurry. He was on them in two powerful strides.

"You'll not have either." His broad shoulders block most of the entrance to the wagon.

"I can pay you handsomely for both." The woman said enticingly. The man shook hi head vehemently.

"You'd keep the best for yourself, does your leader know this, that you are stealing from him." The woman's voice was icy and sharp with disgust.

"These two will serve the King. No one else." Kel felt a cruel smile grow on her face.

Finding the woman's eyes around the behemoth of a man was difficult but when she did, the woman got the picture.

"Fine. We want no trouble with your King." Muttering to herself, she began to walk away.

"We'll pay from your healer to take care of this one's leg, so that she is better suited to serve his Royal Highness." He called to her. The old woman paused and a positively twisted smirk consumed half of her face.

"My healer will heal her leg for a price but not a sum of gold." The Man stepped closer to the woman as the healer approached Kel. He made it seem like he was working but he'd just colored the air between them with his pale fire. When the shouting match between the old smuggler woman and the tall blonde Scanran slaver distracted the rest of the men, he slipped a black bag into her hand. It was surprisingly heavy. Kel looked at him in confusion but he said nothing as he walked away from the wagon. The shouting match ended with the woman smiling and holding out her gnarled hand. The Scanran placed four gold nobles, a gold ring, and glass bottle filled with a deep red liquid into the old woman's keeping. Kel watched for a moment in silence before opening the bag. Inside was a small steal rod. It was about as long as her palm and was filled with more rings of steal. Kel was confused.

"What in the world" she muttered aloud but Kali was already reaching.

"After the Yamani's started to become part of our culture, you know the court of the Rogue, they realized that they would need a smaller more compact way to carry some of their more traditional weapons." Kali began pulling the pieces of metal out and attaching them to each other. When the weapon was completely assembled it was as long as her live weapon but without a blade. Kali held out her hand expectantly.

"The blade they gave you." Kel shook her head softly and retrieved it for her. Kali took the blade from her and put the handle of it into a small-notched part of the top piece of metal.

"It's not as good as the original, but it sure as hell gets the job done." Kel looked at her knew weapon and the heartless smile that had vanished moments ago returned.

"Kali, I need you help." Kali began to disassemble the shaft of the weapon, but watched Kel as she did, waited for Kel's next statement.

"We're going to need to get a close to the king as possible. I think it's time Scanra got a new king." Kali smiled as well.

"Maybe it's time the king's leverage was gone, so the new king could start all over." Kel said watching the Scanra's as they finished their meal.

"Maybe it's time to show the world, why it's a good idea to keep the people happy." Kali laughed out loud.

"This is the most fun I've had since poet courted me." Kali's real smiled was infectious and Kel felt it set roots into her heart.

"I'm glad we're friends. What we're planning to do would be impossible by myself." Kali smiled.

"I know…without me your nothing." Kel laughed.

* * *

Please Review! 


	9. Chapter 9

Two chapters in one day! a special treat for the fans!

* * *

Kel and Kali had stopped smiling, now they sat in comfortable silence waiting with the rest of the recently captured for the Slavers to take them across the river. Kali smiled sadly at Kel.

"I realized something just now. I was so scared last night, I just wanted to curl into a ball and die, but then it hit me. I'm way stronger than this. I don't know why I was so scared. I mean I've seen horrors in my life, that make hardened warriors cringe, I'm stronger than a lot of people think I am. Poet knows I'm strong, But I think sometimes he forgets that I'm not a fragile blossom. Maybe I just needed…sometime. Not to adjust or anything, because I'm not going to be a slave for any significant amount of time, but maybe to collect that strength that I keep hidden deep inside me." Kali looked out the back of the window lost in thought.

"I know. I was scared last night to, but now I feel…like I'm invincible or something." Kel realized her mistake right as the words escaped her mouth. Something she had learned a page. Second, only to the unspoken rule about never saying 'it could be worse' was the rule of never saying 'I am or I feel invincible.' It seemed to call the trickster God's eye right down on you. It was no different this time.

"WENCHES!" the tall blonde Scanran bellowed as he moved aggressively toward them. Kel grabbed the small black bag and stashed it in her bedding. The knife slid back into her boot. She looked up just as the Scanran reached the wagon.

"Get out." Kali scooted out first, then Kel. When they stood in front of him, he began to circle them slowly. Reaching out he slammed their shoulders forward. Forcing Kel and Kali to drop to their knees.

"Stay down there!" His voice was deep and harsh. He continued to circle, before he stopped next to Kel and pulled out his knife. Kali stiffened witha sharp intake of air as shewatched the blade rise above Kel's form. Kel felt her Yamani self wash over her, not killing the fear but hiding it deep with in her. Her eyes stayed ahead of her refusing to give in to this bully. He watched both of their reactions closely. Silence stretched over the camp. Suddenly, the Scanran drew back with a snarl and a curse. He kicked the centerKel's back, knocking her on herstomach in the dirt. She started to rise but the man pushed her back down, pinning her to the floor with his knees and one of his arms.

"Do you know who this is?" His voice carried over the murmuring crowd of smugglers, Slavers, and the hard eyes of the Players. "Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. The Protector of the Small." The man all but spit the words at Kel.He grabbed her short hair and pulled forcing Kel's neck to arch and exposing her neck. The sharp blade of the knife rested against her throat.

"Should I kill her?" The Scanran Slavers cried out in joy, anticipating the bloodshed. The man leaned close to her ear and whispered. "I won't kill you, bitch, but when I'm through with you no one will ever want you. You be a hideous freak." He leaned back and moved the knife to the edge of her hairline. The blade scarped across her skin taking her hair and some skin with in. Kel bit her lip to keep from crying out. Her silence only made it worse. He Shook off his knife and moved on to the next patch of hair. Kel emitted a small groan of pain at the blade sliced across her scalp. He didn't notice. When her head was bleeding and without hair, he stood. Looking down at her with disgust, he kicked her hair in the ribs.

"Let's roll." He yelled to everyone who watched. He seemed to notice that his blade still had blood on it, because he lent down and whipped in roughly on the shirt that Kel was wearing. Kel felt relief that she was wearing on of Dom's tunics as well as her skirt, not just her dancing outfit. Kel felt the handle of the knife digging into her ankle and new resolve filled her. By the time the man had moved away from her the first of the wagons was prepared to cross the river and the cuts on her head were spilling blood down her back and some on to her face. Kali tried to blot the wounds but they were forced back into their wagon before she could really do anything.

"Kali," Kel began. "I need to make myself look as nice a possible and I need to dance the Slaves dance tonight." Kel suddenly started laughing. "I just realized that I'm actually a slave now, so it's fitting that I know the slaves dance." Kel gave Kali a brittle smile, which Kali returned.

"I have to make them think that I deserve to be given to the king and not as a bloody corpse either." Kel reached up to touch her now shaved head. She'd only ever felt beautiful while dancing but now…she wasn't even sure if she could do that. Kali smiled.

"You know I really love have small breasts." With another wane smile, she reached into the cup of her top and pulled out some small flat containers. Kel's eyes questioned her.

"Henna and Carmine. In case, a dancer ever needs to fix herself on the run. When they took me, I was already getting ready for the day. I packed my bra and was about to head out to relieve myself when they grabbed me." She opened the first container and began searching for something to apply it with. After she found something she muttered began to work on Kel.

The wagon crossed the river with no problem and they were well into Scanra when night caught them. She could hear the Slavers muttering to themselves about smugglers always trying to make money and taking other customers while they were still crossing, but the river was rising quickly so they were lucky. Kel waited until they had settled in for dinner before she gathered the players. All of their instruments had been destroyed, but they were undeterred. Drumming on thighs and rising smooth clean voices to the sky in a language that was old and unrecognizable they made the music of the dance. Kel felt the power of the rhythm fill and raised her head high as she started to move. Her skirt was slightly damn from a quick washing and she was fairly busting out of Kali's top but she danced anyway. She missed the noise of her scarf but reveled in the song that accompanied her movements. It wasn't long before the guards joined them. They all chained together so their circle was tighter than normal, but the scene must have stunned the guards regardless. Those who sang had their eyes closed caught in the rapture of words only they could interpret, those who drummed had their eyes locked intently on her form. They formed a tight semi-circle around her and she filled the space at what would be the center with the joyous rhythmic movement of her hips. Soon Kali joined her, wearing little more tahn a scarf across her chest, and they danced together, their bodies helping to create an atmosphere of sensuality. Kel opened her Henna colored eyes. She could feel their eyes on the intricate swirling designs that flowed over her shaved head and around the fresh cuts on her skin. She could fell their eyes on her hips as the moved in delicate patterns of lust. Kel felt power surge through her, they had fallen into her trap like fish into a drag net.

* * *

Please review! The others will be in the next chapter! I promise! 


	10. Chapter 10

Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

The tall blonde Scanran who had shaved her head only hours before crashed through his men and stood dazed for a moment by the graceful movements of her hips. Kel saw him from across the circle but kept her eyes averted from his. A harsh snarl from his lips knocked the drum circle and singers from the trance that the dance induced.

"We will leave early in the morning, so you'd best get to bed. I'll deal with these slaves." His men began to depart, slowly and reluctantly at first, but another frightening snarl and a violent curse caused them to disperse like leaves in the autumn wind. He turned his eyes blues on to Kel and Kali.

"Do you know what you have just done?" He marched closer to them. The others in the circle tried to stay out of his way, but their chains kept them locked together and their curiosity kept them in the semi circle around Kel, Kali, and the angry Scanran. He leaned closer to Kel to say something, but a whispered 'I can't hear anything, what did he say?' brought him back to reality.

"Disperse slaves!" His voice shook the very trees with its anger and ferocity. As if materializing from the shadow his warriors appeared and drugged the players from the circle. He motioned for one to take Kali away with the other slaves. As the clearing empties, Kel felt her heart beat increase but she kept her Yamani mask firmly in place. Soon the clearing was empty save the Scanran and Kel.

"You were going to be a court amusement. The Protector of the Small…forced to fight on command and loose to whomever the King chose. Now, you will be his whore. I could refuse to say anything, but your carefully staged show will be the talk of all the men and no doubt the court, you'll be in his bed before you even wash the dirt from the road off! Is that what you wanted you dumb chit?" He brought his hand down viciously across her cheek. Kel's head whipped to the side with the force of the blow. She could feel the strength of the hit send waved of shock and pain down her body. Her lip throbbed and half of her face burned, Kel had no doubt she would have abruise in the morning. The Scanran paced the clearing, swearing to himself about dumb girls who couldn't just do what they should and who were better than they ought to be. Kel felt confusion replace her anger. Why did it matter what she did? Kel opened her mouth to speak just as he turned and marched back toward her.

"I will grant you your freedom if you do me one favor." His voice was ruff with anger but it was at the quiet pitch of a whisper.

"What do you want?" The words came out slightly slurred through her swollen lips and cheek, but he knew what she'd asked.

"Kill the King of Scanra." Kel's eyes grew wide.

* * *

Neal felt his frustration grow as he watched the old smuggler woman laugh. In her hand was a bottle of red liquid, which she appeared to have negotiated from the previous group that had come through. Neal growled. The previous group had been the smugglers, but the old woman had said that they could cross yet. Raoul had instantly been upset and demanded to know why? First, she had spoken of how busy they were and walked away. Then when questioned again, she had mentioned that the river was flooded. When at last the slavers were fully across the river and on the road, Raoul asked again, this time his words were laced with anger. The old woman's response was slow coming but it resonated with them as something Kel would do. 

"The chit will kill the King. She is to be his servant, take that as you will, but if you catch up and save them now…you will destroy a great piece of art. She will have to be crafty and violent, she will have to find the balance of who she is meant to be and who she is." Cackling the woman began to dance in a circle. Her arms were thrown into the air, the bottle still clutched tightly in her wrinkled and worn fingers. When she stopped laughing she walked calmly back into the house, leaving the three of them dumbfounded in her wake.

"The old bird has lost her damn mind." Dom said at last. They had been standing in silence for four or five minuets, to shocked and confused to speak.

"I agree with Dom." Neal shuttered. He agreed with Dom…something must be wrong with the universe, even Dom looked surprised by his admission.

"Shut up!" Neal cried at his cousins raised eyebrow and expression of disbelief.

"I did not say anything, Cousin Meathead." Dom's voice was light and teasing.

"You were thinking it!" Neal retorted

"Thinking what? Think perhaps that you and the old woman should be…." Dom however wasn't given a chance to finish.

"What are we going to do now?" The question came from Raoul, who was standing quietly behind the two bickering cousins. His eyes were locked on the dense green across the forest. His eyes were sad but his hands were clenched tightly together in anger. Neal looked at him, his dark eyes searched over his face.

"The only thing we can do. Trust Kel." Raoul looked at him. The sadness in his eyes grew but he nodded, and then shifted his eyes back toward the forest, he watched the trees intently as if he could see through them, through the thick of time and space, into the future. Finally, he looked away and nodded again.

"That does not mean we are not going to follow." Dom and Neal nodded and started to set up for camp that night. They would cross the river tomorrow.

* * *

"Why?" Kel's voice was cracked and garbled. He looked at her for a few seconds before running his hands through his hair and sitting beneath a tree at the edge of the clearing. 

"I am the leader of a once powerful and proud group of people. Not the most military minded but we were allied with many other warrior tribes. We believed that the future of our country was in agriculture not war. When the King came into power he approached my father and told him to join the royal forces. My father refused. So the king stole my mother and demanded again, this time with my mothers life as the forfeit. The king must have realized that if he killed her, he would have no control over me, because he killed my father. When I was given the mantle of leadership, he approached me. I turned him down at first but then he reminded me that he had my mother." He stopped. His eyes looked into the darkness of the past, reliving some horrible emotional scar.

"I hate fighting. I want to live in peace with my countrymen and the family I hope to have someday. I have waited for ten years to get close enough to kill him, but he is crafty and watches me carefully. I treated you the way I did so that you would grow angry enough to kill him. Now you may not have the chance. He doesn't trust me, so I cannot help you. If you'd been a court fighter, you would have had free access to weapons. You'll be able to get closer to him but…he will kill you. After he had a girl, he kills her, to prevent someone from turning them against him. You'll only have one chance to get him." He looked at her.

"I will not sleep with him." Her voice was more defined.

"I wouldn't expect it. He will ask you to dance for him first that will be your opportunity. You will be responsible for getting to the meeting point, then I will get you out of the country." He looked sad but hopeful at their new plan.

"What about the others?" Her voice was deadpan. Freedom for her, but not for the others…never going to happen. He puzzled it for a moment, but she spoke first.

"Do you know of the Rogue in Scanra?" He looked puzzled.

"One of them is the King's personal servant. Why do you ask?"

"Then they will be fine." She responded, ignoring his last question. Looking directly at him, she spoke forcefully.

"You will tell me everything you know of the palace, the servants, the city, and the King himself. Then you will tell me about my escape." He nodded and began. It was well into the night before she returned to her wagon. Even though she was tired, she lay in bed for a long time thinking aboutthe next couple of days.

* * *

End of Chapter!please review! 


	11. Chapter 11

Someone complained about there being no fluff. So I am making my stand against unnecessary Fluff. I love it, don't get me wrong, but it has it's time and place. Now is not the time or place, but because I love you all…I decided to give you a little somethin' somethin' Here is a little lamenting loving Dom. Please Review!

* * *

Dom shot up in his bedroll. His heart was beating and his chest was covered in sweat. His dreams had been haunting visions of blood and death, but what had disturbed him the most, was the image of Kel dancing in the midst of it all. Her feet painted red in lifeblood, a thin razor sharp dagger that dripped blood down on to the already coated title floor clutched in her hand, Her red skirts swishing carelessly above the murderous mess. His stomach turned. Leaping from his bedroll, he ran to the edge of the Vassa River. He dropped to his knees on the muddy shore, cupped water in his trembling hands, and washed the night's sweat from his face. He took a deep bracing breath, drew water up from the river, and rinsed his face again. The water had numbed his burning skin and cleared his nauseous and clouded mind. He slid forward, closer to the water, and set about rinsing his sweat saturated skin. The sun had broken the dense morning mist, when his solace was disrupted.

"Boy!" Dom turned to see the old smuggler woman coming toward him. He nodded to her , but did not leave his position on the riverbed.

"Your fear will kill you." The woman's voice was soft and close. Dom looked up from his intent study of the river to find the woman sitting calmly beside him.

"How do you know I'm afraid, Grandmother?" Dom's voice was light and teasing.

"You hide it well, child, but I have been around longer than dirt, I know when someone is afraid." Her voice was filled with good humor and a twinge of sadness.

"You are afraid that she will be so different when she sees you again that she won't love you anymore, you fear that love as well. Your afraid of what your parents will say, of the relationship being so serious that you consider marrying her, of giving up the Own, of being unable to love her, of forever being in her shadow… You fear many things." The woman's voice was that of a wizened grandparent, chastening and loving at the same time. Dom looked away from her dark wrinkle framed eyes, because they seemed to pierce his soul with their depth of understanding.

"Don't be ashamed of your fear. We are all bedfellows of fear." The woman's voice trailed of as she shifted her head to gaze down into the murky churning depth of the Vassa.

"What do you fear, Grandmother?" Dom's voice was soft, barely audible over the din of the river.

"I fear…the days to come. I am not as young as I once was. My family is getting old and they are fine without me around. I fear that I will someday be without use, a tired old tool discarded in favor of a new one. My son already seeks to replace me; he'd have me in bed resting all the time if he could. He doesn't mean to be disrespectful, I suppose I raised him to be willful, so it's my fault." She laughed lightly. "Mostly I fear Death." She paused as her eyes shifted back and caught Dom's.

"When I was younger I hoped that the Black God would claim me in my sleep. A peaceful passing, but as my wrinkles get deeper and my life grows shorter I want to find my own way to the Black God's realm. I want to die with a cause in my heart and a sword in my hand." She looked away from Dom. Her eyes dancing toward the heavens.

"I hope someday to have your conviction." Dom said softly.

"You don't have it now child?"

"No. You were right to say that I fear many things, but my greatest fear is that I will not love her enough."

"How much is enough?" the old woman enquired.

"Kel has a heart so big that encompasses the world. She loved without fear; she loved without restrictions, hesitation, greed, selfishness, or class. She is truly the greatest person I have ever known. How can any love I give her compare to that unconditional all encompassing love?" The woman sighed and placed a gnarled hand on Dom's shoulder.

"Love is not measured in depth or width, nor height, nor how encompassing it is. It is not grounded in works or words, it is in the heart. If you give her everything that you have, then what more can you give. She loves you. All that you have to do is let her love you and love her back." The woman stood and walked away leaving Dom to ponder her words.

* * *

The wagon's rolled out the camp before the sun had even risen completely. The gray half-dark morning was cold and moist, but Kel walked beside her wagon regardless. One of the guards had given her a thick black cloak with a deep hood. Kel wrapped it around herself and hid her face in the pitch colored fabric of the hood. Her face was a hideous multi-colored bruise. Her lip was swollen and split, and she found that she could barely open her left eye. Her ribs ached something fierce, but she trudged on. Her good eye constantly darted from person to person, looking for those she could trust. The blonde Scanran, whose name she had learned was Trevon, led the group from the top of a tall black stallion. His men were very loyal to him. She had spent part of the morning asking around about him, but no one would talk and she'd earned quit a few bruises this morning from them when she said anything remotely mean about him. It was respect he reminded her of Lord Raoul. A skinnier, blonder, foreign, ill-tempered Lord Raoul. One man however bothered her greatly. He constantly watched her and the others, he was constantly in the back of the group, he rode alone, and every time she looked at him her was scribbling things down in a small note pad. She though at first that if he was really a spy he would have been more discreet, but Trevon's words from last night were still fresh in her head. '_He doesn't trust me.' _Maybe the King didn't feel the need to hide his spies, but Kel now had to confirm or disprove her suspicions and figure out how to keep going with her plans. Other things had developed from last night as well. She'd learned that the man who was of the Rogue and was the King's servant was very new to the position, so Kel could hardly trust him to get the other's out of the country. It would be up to her to find the Rogue before she killed the king, which meant putting him off. The best way to do that…get the crap beat out of her. No one wanted a bruised stiff and irritable whore.

Kel smiled as she sifted through her thoughts.

"Kel." A small dark haired man snuck up behind her. His wrists were free of shackles, which make Kel smirk, these Slavers had no idea who they'd stolen. She nodded to the man.

"My Lord Poet is coming." Kel looked around confused.

"Was there a sign I missed." He man smiled and handed Kel a small curled slip of paper on it said simply. _I'll be there soon. _In long sloppy letters, Kel handed it back to the man.

"Where did it come from?" The man shook his head as if she were the dumbest broad to walk the earth.

"Messenger birds." He turned and walked back to his wagon. Leaving Kel intensely confused about what was so funny. Maybe to long on the road had destroyed the player's mind. Kel turned back to face the road ahead of them. It stretched out in to the forest, mostly straight, but meandering slightly at points. One of the men pointed to a mountain in the distance, then to a small white blight of the mountain's majestic side, the royal palace; it was only four days ahead of them.

"God's in the heaven's this prayer I lift to all. Guard your servants well, we are but clay pieces and we need guidance and help." Kali's voice came to Kel's ears as soft as a whisper of silk. Kali was praying. Not out of fear of her death or dread, but in the hope that the next couple of days would be for the best. Kel uttered a prayer to the heavens silently.

'_I hope your right about me.' _The only response she heard was a gust of howling wind that carried cackling laughter to her cold ears.

* * *

Please review! 


	12. Chapter 12

CTL 12 I am heart broken that so few people enjoyed the last chapter, I will try to make this one better.

* * *

Kel was asleep in her bedroll when a flash of bright light and the sound of booming laughter startled her awake. No one else seemed to notice the noise. The whole forest seemed to be to quiet. Kel drew her stiletto blade and crept from the wagon. She didn't have to go far. In the center of the camp stood two glowing figures. One she already recognized as the Graveyard Hag and had the same glow on him, but he was much younger than the Hag and his face was twisted in a crooked smile. Kel slid the blade back into her boot as she dipped into a mocking curtsy.

"Your Hag-ness." Kel mocked softly. The Graveyard Hag cackled loudly, which confirmed Kel's suspicion that magic had been laid over the camp and surrounding forest.

"I told you she would do!" she cried to the other glowing figure as she wiped tears of laughter from the corner of her eye.

"That ya' did." The man's voice was deep and touched with laugher though the words he spoke seemed grave. The Graveyard Hag turned her eyes on Kel and for a moment Kel bore the full weight of her godhood. Kel felt her knees quiver but she locked them in place, she was no weak court lady, she could bare the weight of those piercing eyes on her form. Her jaw clenched tightly as she gave the Graveyard Hag a look for a look. After a few moments, the Hag began to laugh again.

"I think she'll do well. Aye, I see deep stren'th in 'er." The man said over the Hag's screeching laughter. Kel turned her eyes to him.

"If I may, Sir, who are you? Are you a god?" Her voice was hesitant; she could really risk offending anyone at this risky juncture in her plan.

"No, I'm no god. I'm 'n Oracle. We don' get out very much so I 'ppreciate the fresh air and gettin' ta' talk to yah'. I know all 'bout you, Milady Keladry, we've 'ad many visions of your future. I asked the Hag ta' bring me to meet yah'. We 'ad ta' know if yah' were strong 'nuf to 'andle tha' power that was goin' to be givin' ta' yah." He smiled and touched Kel's forehead with two fingers. Kel felt power surge into her body. It burned her veins and organs. She clenched her teeth together to keep from crying out. She could hear whispers in her head screaming at her to give up. Kel locked eyes with the stranger. The voices grew louder, but Kel paid them no heed. It was the Oracle who looked away first. His hand dropped away only seconds after his eyes.

"Gods bless, she'll do. She'll…" He turned as his voice grew horse from tears. The Graveyard Hag waited for him to finish, when he didn't she dismissed him with a wave an spoke to Kel.

"When the Gods pick a vessel them must know if that vessel with crack under pressure or hold true. Like a clay pot filled with water. Will the strength and weight of the water crack the pot and waste the water or will the pot hold and keep the water cool for it's maker. You will not be filled with the god's power, but you will be thrust into power, you must know how handle it or…the consequences will be…dire. That's why he's all weepy. I can't say much more, I know that if Mithros finds out that I am here, I will get a harsh talking to." A crooked smiled danced across her lips. "You will do us justice, I think. Some of the others doubted you, but I stand behind you. Even if you are to straight laced for me." With one last smile, she faded, taking the oracle with her, and removing the heavy blanket of sleep from the camp and forest. Kel wanted to laugh hysterically.

'Liars, Tempers, and Betrayal, Oh my!' Kel thought to herself as she walked back to her wagon. The rest of the night was peaceful, but the morning came very quickly for the little Slaver camp. The noise that woke them was the sound of a battle.

"Get up! They're on us! Rise!" Trevon's rang out into the camp.

Kel woke up and rolled out of the wagon with her dagger already drawn. She wasn't going not fight just because she was a slave. Some of the players, who were without shackles as well, slipped up behind Kel as she moved swiftly toward the fight. The Slavers were out in full force, each with a weapon drawn. Some were half dressed other wore loose swords man shirts. Kel saw no one in armor. Bending down to pick up a sword from a body, she moved fearlessly into battle with the players at her back. She attacked ferociously.

Her arms were sore from numerous beatings and it was difficult to swing the sword, which was so much heavier than griffin, but Kel was unstoppable. She felt the same rush as she felt when the rhythm of the dance took over. As graceful as any dancer, she swept across the field dispatching her enemies with quick beautiful arching strokes of her blade. Trevon, who'd killed is opponent, paused for a moment to watched her movements. She slashed the chest of one man with a elegant deflect/turn motion that brought her arms down across her body in a semi-circle from shoulder to hip. Her blade was a silver blur: slashing, hacking, and displaying people with ease and precision. Trevon broke his eyes away from her hypnotizing form and attack another enemy.

When they saw that they were defeated, those who remained fled the small clearing. Kel made her way over to Trevon as the others began to search through the bodies for their own.

"Who were they?" She was barely out of breath. 'Without my armor on I'm quicker, lighter, and I have more stamina.' Kel thought to herself as Trevon started answer her question.

"They were another group of slavers. Sometimes they hand out in the woods waiting for other groups to come through so they can kill them and take the slaves. They are little better than bandits." He spat on a dead man at his feet. Kel looked at the sword in her hand. It was a quality sword.

"This is a very nice sword for a bandit." Kel handed it him, when he looked it over his eyes widened.

"This is from the royal armory." He looked up at Kel with haunted eyes. " I hadn't even told the King I was coming home." Kel nodded and looked around. The spy was watching the slaves, but his eyes kept dancing toward them.

"I think this a perfect opportunity to kill the spy." Trevon's eye's widened.

"Tell the King he was killed in the attack." Trevon nodded and marched away from her, toward the man. Kel couldn't watch as he dispatched the man. She could be brave and she could kill her enemy, but she couldn't do it in cold blood. It made her feel sick and dirty. When Trevon returned to her side she tried not to notice the heavy fresh splash of blood on his shirt. He didn't stay to talk with her, instead he began calling out orders to his people. They moved in a flurry of organized chaos to burry or burn the dead from the battle. Soon Kel found herself sitting in the back of her wagon as they rolled away from the sight of the battle. Kali was sitting next to her and could feel the obvious tension in her friend.

"Kel, do you want to here the story of how Poet courted me? It's a great story." Kel smiled at Kali, knowing that her friend was trying to help her. Kali took Kel's smile as a yes and began the story.

"We met when I came to this country. I was about 13. My parents didn't even know I'd left; I snuck aboard a ship bound for Tortall and lived off scraps of food I'd pulled together from my parent's house. When I got off the boat, I was pale and skinny. I had no money and no food, but I was determined to live on my own. So I found myself a nice nest underneath the city of Corus, it was a sweet place. Anyway, one day I went out to get some food, I don't need to say how I procured the food so I'll just skip ahead, When I got back to my nest there was this guy sleeping in it. I was upset, so I woke him up and told him to get out. He looked confused. I realized he didn't speak Common. I tried a few other languages, no luck, until finally I tried my mother tongue. I said "Jungen, den aufstehen ist mein Bett dein innen schlafen!" Which means: get up boy, that is my bed your sleeping in! He responded in the same language. Saying that he had found it so, it was his. I screamed. I think I beat him up pretty bad before he managed to pin me down. We ended up making a deal. I'd teach him to speak Common and how to steal and he'd give me back my nest. He totally got the better end of the deal but…whatever. So, I started teaching him. All the while, he would stumble over what he wanted to say in Common. One time he was trying to tell me that something was pleasant and he ended up saying he was pregnant. I laughed so hard." Kali whipped a tear of joy from her eye.

"It took about a year for him to learn the language. At first, he spoke like a noble. All of his words all-proper sounding, because he was so new to the language and it was important to him that he get it right. It taught him how to be a pickpocket and a cutpurse. It didn't take him very long to pick up that skill, he was born to it. When he left the nest I thanked the Gods that I would never see his scrawny ass again…but next thing yah know." Kali paused for dramatic effect, but a smooth masculine voice filled the space.

"I was back like a bad rash or a copper you can't rid of. I make rocks in your boot look like a minor annoyance!' Poet was climbing carefully into the back of the wagon. Kali let out a high-pitched squeal of joy and wrapped her arms around him. He embraced her lovingly, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling her scent. After a few moments, he pulled away from her.

"I won't hug you again unless you take back the comment about me having a scrawny ass." He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his nose into the air. Kel and Kali couldn't help it, they started laughing. Poet smiled at them. Kel was grateful to have him there with them. When Trevon came to see what all the noise was about, Poet turned into a statue.

"Vetter?" Trevon's voice was shaking in confusion. Poet moved closer to him and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes, cousin it's me!" Trevon and poet shook hands and slammed each other on the back; Kel took note that it was a very masculine way of saying that they had missed each other.

Kali moved the scant inches to Poet's side and stuck her hand out to Kali.

"I'm his wife and friend. Kalianda Edelstein" Trevor didn't take her hand but his face grew white as he considered his treatment of her the last couple of days.

"It's alright I forgive you." Kali assured him quickly. Poet looked between the two confused.

"Cousin, I need to talk to you. Can you ride?" Poet nodded. He turned to kiss Kali lightly on the lips, and then slipped away after Trevon.

"Well…" Kel said drolly. "This just got more interesting." Kel hiked an eyebrow up at Kali. Kali simply stuck her tongue out a Kel and shook her head.

"You have no idea." Kali said as she settled back into her seat.\

* * *

P.S.- Vetter Cousin

Please Review!


	13. Chapter 13

Kel watched, the castle was looming on the horizon line. They were only were only a day away now, so close that she could feel the malice rolling of the castle, she could taste the hate clogging her senses. Poet and Kali slept on a pallet beneath the wagon, while she waited quietly for the night to pass, her mind to filled with dread for the comforting arms of sleep. She would have to kill a man in cold blood. Sure, she'd done it before but the face of everyone she'd killed came back to haunt her. Unlike her idol the Lioness, Kel had no gift, no way to give back to the people to make up for killing. When her day came to face the Black God, there would be no sunny shores for her. Killing, even if for the right reason, was still killing. She'd spent her whole life preparing to kill people, the result of which was hands marked by the cool tones of death. Kel looked down at her hands and cringed; she could see the stains there even if no one else could.

"It won't be long now." Startled Kel turned to face the person who'd just spoken. Be side her sat the Graveyard Hag.

"Why are you here?" Kel asked her voice cracking.

"My children in Carthak need a hero. They need someone to save them, just like Daine did one and soon you will follow her way." The hag fixed her beady eyes on Kel. " I hope your way is a little less destructive." Kel observed the hag with new eyes. This was a patron of an entire nation, who loved her people so much that she risked anger and punishment from Mithros to ensure their safety, Kel saw the hag's age in her eyes, they were lined with love and marked by sorrow.

"How can you still care?" Kel asked looked away from the hag and into the abyss of the night.

"I care because I love them. They are my children. It is a lot of work sometimes but I love them because…it's my job." The hag laughed. " Maybe there are other reasons but…they're mine not yours to know. What about you…. How do you still care, Dearie?"

Kel looked startled.

" What do you mean?"

"I'm a Goddess, girl, I know your heart. Why do you think they call you the protector of the small? How do you care for people even though you have so many to car for?"

"If you already know my heart than you know the answer?" Kel said her face turning serene.

"I know it, but you don't…." The hag faded leaving Kel and the night alone again.

Kel looked up and prayed.

"Gods, I am scared. I know that I must be alone to face this, but please protect my friends."

A breeze ripped through the trees and buried it's hidden messages in her ear.

'_Kel.'_ It whispered. Looking around the clearing Kel saw no one but again the wind cried. _'Kel.' _

Moving with stealth that would have made her training master proud she exited the wagon and walked through the shadow into the face on the wind and the black ominous forest around their small camp. She had only gone a little ways when she came upon another camp. Neal sat beside a small glowing stone, attempting to sharpen his sword. She could tell by the pack that two others were with him but they were no where to be seen. Kel watched Neal for a moment before she stormed over and took the sword and sharpening stone from him.

"Your doing it all wrong." She whispered. Neal seemed to be in shock for a moment. Kel was unsure why, but then remembered her radical new hair do and the face that she was supposed to be the prisoner of Scanran slavers.

"I have a lot to tell you." Kel said softly as she sharpened Neal's sword.

"Who are you traveling with?" Kel watched Neal waiting for him to reply. Neal didn't move.

"You really are a meathe…" Kel didn't get a chance to finish because Neal suddenly sprang into action, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace. Kel dropped the sword and hugged him back.

Raoul and Dom chose this moment to enter then camp.

"Kel." Dom's voice carried over the small space; Kel turned her head, though she was still hugging Neal (or Neal was still hugging her), to see who had called her name.

A smile lit her face as her eyes fell on their faces. Dom and Raoul exchanged worried glances and Kel saw how she must have looked. Her once shiny mousy brown hair was gone leaving a poorly shaved head in it's wake. On her head were the designs drawn their in henna only a few days ago. Her hairline and scalp still carried the cuts from Trevon's knife, creating a gruesome but beautiful picture on her scalp. She had always been bigger than other girls her age but the stress of her impending destiny and the grueling dancer's training had left her a little smaller around the shoulders, while the low cut dancer's top exposed and emphasized her flat stomach and bust. The skirt was the same as she'd been wearing when she was captured but now it was ragged giving little glimpses of her toned legs beneath it and the dirt that coated the fine red muslin was nothing more than a bonus to her gypsy princess image. Neal final released her and sat back on his heal as the other's moved in to embrace her. Raoul wrapped her in his thick arms and embraced her tightly reminding her of a father greeting a child who'd been away for a long time or who'd done something to make him proud. His tight embrace made bruised ribs and hips hurt but she didn't say anything. In the poor light of the magic stone, they couldn't see the yellow and purple marks that marred her body. When Raoul released her, Dom stepped closer. His arms wrapped around her and she felt fire rise in her veins. His face was buried in the crook of her neck as he spoke his breath brushed across her exposed neck.

"Kel." His arms tightened, one of her arms slid up and tangled her fingers in his loose hair.

"Dom." Kel's voice was soft and she'd spoke his name right against his ear, a loving caress of sound and breath.

"I'm glad you're here. Now, we can go home." Dom whispered, Kel almost agreed with him but she knew that she couldn't. She pulled away and looked at him. His dancing blue eyes watched her in confusion.

"I can't Dom." Her voice was broken and soft.

"Why?" it was Raoul who spoke.

"I am going to kill King Maggur and place Trevon on his throne. I'm not sure what will happen after that, but I know that the Graveyard Hag is involved." Raoul's face tightened in anger.

"Kel. You know that as a Knight of Tortall you can't get involved." Kel fixed her eyes on him.

"I am a slave, sir, not a knight right now." Her eyes were downcast for a moment.

"I can't let him stay King. He's evil. Can't you feel it? I feel his evil soaking into the earth. Destroying the peace, the crops, everything. I can't, so long as I have breath in my body, allow such evil to continue in this world." Kel slammed her fist in her hand and gave Neal, Dom, and Raoul strong stares.

"You won't be able to come with me, but I could use some support in the city, perhaps you could pretend to be slavers." Kel rubbed her hand across her bare scalp.

"Kel. You are actually going to do this?" Raoul asked, his voice filled with some firm emotion she couldn't name.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I just can't do it." Raoul nodded.

"I'm not angry, Kel, I just wish I had your conviction. We are with you until the end. We'll follow behind your caravan until you've come up with a plan for us to join." Kel nodded and hugged them all again before slipping back into the dark forest and back into the slavers camp. Poet was awake and waiting for her when she got back to the wagon.

"Inside." His voice was harsh with sleep. Kel nodded and climbed into the wagon, poet followed.

"Where did you go?"

"Three of my friends are following us. I just found them tonight. I went to see what was going on and I stumbled across them. I was coming back to see if we could smuggle them into the palace with us." Poet nodded.

"I'll take care of that tonight. Neal is with them, right?" Kel nodded.

"Good, then I'll go to them right now." Poet started to move.

"Poet, They just got here tonight, how did you reach us so quickly." Poet's face tightened a little.

"That is not a question I can answer right now," he started to move away, then turned back to look at her. "I can't get away all my secrets…" He winked and disappeared into the forest in the direction of the camp.

'_Why can't I just let it go? Why can't I just go home? How can I still care_?" Kel sat up all night thinking, trying to understand who she was. Tomorrow she'd be at the palace, tomorrow she'd have to face true evil, she just hoped she was ready.

* * *

Sorry it took so long! I had way to much stuff to do! I hope you enjoy! 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

* * *

Kel waited up for Poet to return. Her mind touching on places she'd spent her life avoiding. Why was she a knight? She'd considered it during her vigil but…. why? She'd never been faced with a situation like this before. When she'd faced off against the Nothing Man and his dog she'd be in control. She'd planned each step, here she had no choice, she was a slave and she'd have to play the part of the slave to get close enough to the King. Poet returned to the wagons at dawn, just as the camp was waking up. He didn't come back to their wagon until the camp had started breaking down for the day's journey. He entered the wagon with a grim expression on his face. Kel instantly drew herself out of her stupor. The wagon's had just rumbled out of the camp when he spoke to her. 

"Trevon and I have decided the best way to ensure your safety. You won't like it…but it's all we could come up with." Kel nodded slowly and he continued. "We are entering the King's territory. He'll have spies all over. I've made it so that you friends are going to blend in with the slavers when they jump into the caravan. My people know to stay chain up and weak looking, but your going to be our star. They won't let you next to the king unless they think your broken. That you have nothing left." Kel swallowed hard.

"What do you mean?" Kel's voice was a thin trail of sound.

"I'm sorry Kel." Poet scrubbed at his face with his hands " We're going to re-shave your head and treat you as a prisoner of war would be treated. We'll go as easy as we can, but it is going to be hard on you. He will see if we give you any special treatment. I'm sorry you were dragged into this, but you here now and there is no going back." Poet looked at her with something akin to admiration in his eyes.

"I know." Kel said softly feeling the weight of her choice on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry." It was all Kel heard from him for the rest of the day, but that wasn't surprising considering the events that followed. With in moments of their conversation ending, Trevon dragged Kel from the wagon.

"I though I told you to walk, Whore!" He slammed her body in to the ground. She could feel the impact shake through her body. Her knees where throbbing as she tried to climb back up to her feet. The toe of his boot found her ribs, it wasn't as hard as some of the kicks she received, but it forced all of the air from her lungs with a small grunt of pain. She fell back to the ground. She breathed heavily for a moment, her mouth so close to the ground that she could see the damp earth moving from her breath, could feel the dirt in her mouth and clinging to the side of her face. She moved slowly to her knees, knowing what was coming and knowing that if she stood she'd only find herself thrown back to the ground.

"Someone bring me my knife!" The men talked quietly as a young man ran to get the knife. He shaved her head in much the same fashion as he had the first time. She lowered her head in mock shame, hoping that however the show was for was enjoying it. She glanced up through her eyelashes to see Dom standing at the edge of the crowd, his hands clenched in fist of rage. She couldn't see Neal or Raoul but she knew that they were in the crowd watching her.

"This one will bring us some money in the city." Trevon laughed and pulled Kel up to her feet by her ear. She could feel the ache spreading across her body but she didn't give in to it. Trevon circled her like a vulture looking atsomeone else's dinner.

"Imagine my surprise when we captured the Protector of the Small. Granted it was a military camp, but with a group of players," He clucked his tongue at her "That's below you 'lady' Keladry." Trevon laughed cruelly.

"You're a slave now, nothing but a worthless piece of flesh that I'll peddle and sell to the highest bidder." Kel kept her head down, but she could feel the eyes of others watching them from the woods.

"We've wasted enough time on this worthless chit, hitch her to the back of my horse, if she falls we'll drag her into the city."

Shackles were placed on her wrist and she was attached to Trevon's saddle by a heavy rope. The day was long, they stopped to water the horses and harass her, nothing else. They soon found themselves at the entrance to the royal city. It was bustling but nowhere near the activity of Corus or the Port cities. With no hesitation, they moved toward the slaves market. People poked at them as they passed, check muscles and checking for limps. They slave market was like nothing she had seen before. Hundreds of people stood before a stage, on the stage a slave was begin displayed. First, their body, then their teeth, hands, feet, knees, and hairs were displayed in various ways. The Slave was next forced to display their talent. What it was that made them a desirable slave. The one begin displayed, a burly northerner, sold for 20 silver and 4 gold. A good price for a slave who could use weapons, someone whispered in the crowd. They moved toward the edge of the stage.

When they reached it Kel looked back behind her. Everyone was shackled together and on their feet in a straight line, she wasn't sure when they'd gotten out of the wagons, but she supposed it was a while back. Trevon moved forward, pressing them through the crowd. Using his horse like a bolt of the Gift, he split the crowd and soon they found themselves up on the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you a rare, exotic, and dangerous flower." Trevon began. His voicecarrying easily over the din of the market."This is the Lady Keladry, the Protector of the Small."

The crowd erupted in pandemonium. Trevon opened his mouth to start the bidding when a loud heavily accented voice cut through the noise of the space.

"She is not for sale. She belongs to me." Kel looked up to see the slave market bowing to the man who'd just entered the room. His eyes were harsh and cold, matching the Scanran winter to the last snowflake. He moved forward with natural muscular grace. He was flanked by two-dozen arm soldiers and Kel could easily pick on the soldiers who'd smuggled themselves into the crowd as extra security. Soon in was right in front of her on the stage. He circled her slowly, much as Trevon had done earlier, but his stare made her feel filthy.

"She is easier on the eyes, than I expected. Not pretty but any stretch on the imagination, but she'll do. I'll give you 7 gold for her." Trevon nodded grimly and handed the King her rope leash. He pulled her forward so quickly that she fell to her knees in front of him.

"Get up, I have no time for you foolishness." Kel tried to move but the soreness in her body made it difficult. The King handed the leash to one of his soldiers and moved closer to her. His raised hand came down hard across the side of her face. Blood welled up in her mouth.

"Next time you'll move quicker." The King started away, but Trevon stopped him.

"Your Majesty." The king didn't turn but he paused. "I have been informed and seen the proof with my own eyes, She can dance the Slaves Dance of Haruna Al-Hital." The King laughed loudly as he continued walking away. The King glanced back long enough to catch Kel's eyes, and said, "The bitch will be dead by morning. She dance and then She'll die!" His words echoed in the ears of all the people in the market.

* * *

Stayed tuned! I think I know where this is going. 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Please see Previous chapters! (: Thanks for all the AWESOME reveiws. I hope that all that all of the mysteries willbe made clear soon.I think I know wherethis is going, but if you have any suggestions...please email me. please put Suggestions for CTL in the subject box. Thanks!

* * *

Kel wasn't around to know what happened to the rest of the players but she made the assumption that Poet and Trevon would see to their safety.

'Just like they saw to yours?' the rebellious part of her questioned. Kel knew that the plan had gone horribly wrong somewhere in the slave market. Trevon had told her that the King was a hard man, who often killed slaves who displeased him. He had a strange affection for dancers but could never stand to watch the same dancer for more than one night.

He believed that if the dancer couldn't dance for him anymore than she couldn't dance for anyone. Thus, after a girl danced for him, she would be sent to the gallows. It made dancers hard to find but the King also found someone to entertain him. It was the same with all things in his life. His royal council had barely convinced him to stay in the palace during his reign, if he'd had his way, the royal court would constantly have been on the move. As it was the palace was constantly begin rebuilt, so that the King never ran out of new rooms to live in.

They'd planned for her to have a few days to recover before she'd have to dance, giving the players and Trevon's men time to smuggle the weapons in and to plan her escape. What no one had counted on was the strange mannerisms of the King. Normally, he liked his dancers to be petite and untouched. Not a mark was to mar their skin, but he'd made an exception for her.

Kel shuddered in fear, things were awry, and there was nothing she could do to change the situation. Tonight, she would dance. Tomorrow, Gods willing she'd be on a boat home. If they decided to ignore her…she'd be gallows bait at dawn…

* * *

Dom's body went ridged as he watched the King's men drag Kel from the slave market. He felt the bruises and marks on her body as if they were his own, but he didn't say anything or move to help her. He knew that his involvement was to be minimal. Poet had taken one look at him and declared him to love to be of any help. It made him angry, but he knew that it was true. How could he be of any help when all he could think of was how much he wanted Kel to be safe and how he wanted to wrap his arms tightly around her and never let go. Raoul was somewhere in the crowd, but Dom could feel the animosity rolling off the giant commander. He thought of Kel as a daughter, so this whole plan made him angry. He knew that Raoul was furious over the current situation. The King would force Kel to dance tonight and that meant…that come morning there would be a new king or there would be a hanging. Dom shuddered and moved slowing deeper into the crowd, until he found Neal. Neal's eyes were blazing green and they hadn't moved from the exit of the Slave Market.

"Neal, we need to move now. Kel will need a weapon." Dom's voice was soft, meant only for his cousins ears, but a voice behind him responded before his cousin could say anything.

"She already has one." Poet answered softly. Dom's eyes fell on him and danced around the crowd seeping into the crowd like poison.

"My people." Poet said simply. Dom nodded and turned his questioning eyes back to the King of the Rouge.

"Explain yourself."

"My Lovely wife has disappeared with three of my daggers. I know where she is going, Kel will have plenty of weapons and plenty of help in escaping." Poet rubbed the creases between his eyebrows and gave Dom a smile.

"Kali? She has done nothing but cower since I've meet her." Dom said angrily.

Poet's smile grew sad.

"That's my fault…I have kept her so sheltered because I was afraid that she'd get hurt, but she is much stronger than I give her credit for. Come on let's go some place where we can eat and talk. An empty stomach won't be helpful tonight." He motioned the others to follow them. As they were leaving Raoul joined the group, they left the commotion of the Slave Market behind them and headed for a small inn and bar called the Tireless Steed.

* * *

Kel entered the throne room of the palace right behind the King. The eyes of the court fell on her with a mix of disgust, pity, and hope. The King sat himself in a fur draped Crystal throne. Immediately four servants came to his side to his side, waiting for his instructions.

"Draw a bath for our guest and get her some new clothes, she will dance for me tonight. Let the hang-man know that I want the gallows ready to go." Two servants rushed from the room toward the city, the other nodded and moved toward her. Their heads were bowed to their chests as thy walked away from the King. When they got closer to her they moved swiftly motioning for her to join them. Kel followed softly with the guard that still held her chains. They bathing room was large, like the pages baths in Corus, but more elegant. The room was done in smooth cold stone of a pearly white color. The walls were lined with opal vines and dark Black opal flowers. Kel shuddered as the cold of the tiles soaked into the bare soles of her feet. While Kel was watching the room around her the guard unlocked her chains and released her into the care of the two servants.

"Please remove your clothes." The voice was soft and slightly slurred, to Kel it seemed familiar. Shaking her head Kel removed her clothes and stepped into the water. Kel could see the dirt float off her skin and pollute the small tub in front of her. The water was cold reminding Kel of the mountain stream where she'd seen the Graveyard Hag for the first time. She sent up a small plea to the Hag goddess.

'_I hope you have a plan, because I don't._'

Kel was pulled from her mussing by the feeling of someonerubbing shampoo over her dirty scalp.

"Go watch the door, Lillith. Make sure that horrid guard does come back." The woman behind her said firmly. Kel relaxed, enjoying the feel of being taken care of even if it was just for a short time.

"Kel. Listen, I don't have very much time so we need to speak quickly." Kel pulled away from the servant and looked back at her. She stared into Kali's eyes and felt a grin split her face.

"Lillith is your contact here in the palace; she is one of the Rouge. She is going to get you out of the Palace after you do your job. In your clothes I've left special presents for you. Things that you will need to do the job," Kel nodded and waited for Kali to continue. "You are booked for passage on a boat called the Marauder; it sails for Carhtak with the tide tonight. I've lined up work for you in Carthak, as a body guard for the Empress Kalasin. You'll have to figure out how to get out of there on you own. Kalasin knows who you are and will send word to her mother, Queen Thyat. Tonight I will send in three of the Rouge's finest players to play for you. They will keep the rhythm going long after you've killed the King so that people will think you are still dancing for him. When you've had time to get out, they will disappear. Don't worry about us; get out of the city while you can. The port is a twenty minuet ride; I'll have the fastest horse I can find waiting for you at the steps of the Goddesses Temple. Lillith will take you there after you've fled the Palace. Now…you know what you have to do and we have very little time to finish what needs to be done. Finish bathing yourself I'll finish the preparation." Kali walked away from Kel to speak to Lillith. Kel rinsed her head and quickly scrubbed her body. Kali came back over with a large towel and motioned Kel to follow her.

Kel and Kali entered a large dressing room, much like to room above the Dancing Dove where Kel had first learned to dance.

"Alright, I want to teach you a new dance move so that you can use to hide you drawing the knives to kill the King." Kel nodded…

"It goes like this, its part of the Dance of Seven Veils" Kali started moving her hips and Kel understood the plan intimately at that moment.

'_Gods help me…_'

* * *

please tell me what you think:) 


	16. Chapter 16

Here yah go…sorry it took so long…

* * *

Seduction…

There was nothing more to this dance…it was a slip of the hand and the heavy gyration of her hips in the imitation of sex. Kali showed Kel the dance, moving through the steps slowly and making Kel practice them until she got them perfect. One move was a soft turn that caused the short gauzy fabric at her waist to sway away from her body, exposing the tops of her thighs, the next was to glide her hands along the sides of her body drawing attention to the indentation of her hips and the muscles of her toned stomach. Heavy in her chest, Kel's heart thumped out a crazed rhythm. Fear had some how crept past her defenses and with every twist and roll of her hips she felt it grow and knot at the base of her spine. Her breathing was heavy and her fatigued and sore body ached in protest but on she danced. She moved in a rhythm that older than time, set aside by the gods to ensnare and destroy men. When at last Kali felt she was ready, the blades where slipped carefully in beside her breasts, at the corner of the top where two dark colored veils stretched upward toward her neck the make straps for the scant covering. The cold metal quickly warmed next to her skin and its reassuring pressure on the sides of her chest made Kel more comfortable. Kali helped her dress the rest of the way, rubbing oil into her skin so that she glowed in the dim candle light, making up her face with kohl and carmine. Kali painted Kel's lips a killer red, which reminded Kel that the night's events would end with the death of a king, the installment of a new regime, and her escape from enemy territory into the hands of the Graveyard Hag.

Kali was leaving the room to get Lilith, when Kel grabbed her arm.

"Kali…I need your help…" Kali paused in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Kel looked at her for a moment, before she continued.

"I want you to hide the fact that I killed the King. Make everyone think that Trevon killed him. That way, we can ensure that he takes the throne next. Once the king is dead, Scanra will return to war clans…unless someone can unite them for something other than war. I think that Trevon is that man. He has got some harsh edges, but he knows what to say and he can connect with the people." Kel paused to think for a moment, she opened her mouth to continue but Kali was already speaking over her silence.

"Good, we agree. I'll handle it," she grasped Kel's shoulder tightly. "You'll still have to flee. I can't guarantee that you will be safe in the chaos after the king is dead. Be strong, there are other forces at work here." Kali removed her hand left the room to get things ready for Kel.

Kel could barely sit still as she waited for the guard to escort her to the king's chambers. She felt every inch of skin as if it was on fire. Kel dropped her eyes from the wall in front of her too look carefully at her hands.

'What have I become?' she questioned herself. Deep inside of her a warrior raised its head.

'You are who you are…A fighter, a woman. History is written in your wake. Be brave, little bird, soon you'll have to fly…' Kel smiled. Her mother had always called her little bird, it made her think of her childhood and of all the things that had lead her to this point in her life. When the door opened to admit Lilith and the guard, she raised her head and met their eyes with grim resolve.

She stood and stalked toward them, placing herself at the ready. The guard had Lilith lead the way and fell in place behind Kel. She could feel his gaze raking over her body, but her head was high and her mind was made up…the King would die tonight.

The door to the King's chamber for the night was wide and covered in wrought iron vines. Kel felt Lilith hesitate for a moment before pushing the heavy oak door aside. The musicians were already in the room and playing a light tune to entertain the king. There was very little light in the room, but Kel could make out a small clearing in front of a high back chair. The chair was currently occupied by a shadowy figure that Kel knew to be the king.

"Ah…she has arrived. Fashionably late." The king's voice emerged from the shadow followed by half of his face as he leaned forward to inspect his prize. Kel felt herself slip into the moment and embraced the actress within. Kel bustled forward into the clearing and bowed low to the king. Her bow was low enough that she was certain the King could see down her shirt and out the bottom to her belly button. In a husky whisper she replied.

"I wanted to look the best for you, your majesty." The king laughed, amused by her obvious show, but waved for her to continue. Kel motioned the musicians to begin the rhythm for the dance. The door thumped closed as Lilith was pulled from the room by the guard. Kel closed her eyes and started to dance. She felt confident and brave…she opened her eyes and locked eyes with him across the room as she pulled free the scarf. She knew that her half lidded eyes looked like she bent on seduction but she was hiding a killing rage behind her thin eye lids. She could see the King's obvious joy at her skill; it made Kel's resolve even stronger. As the rhythm increased in intensity Kel careful moved forward, inching toward him with each hard sideways step and thrust of her hips she moved closer to her target. The veils made a trail as she removed them showing her progress across the room. When only three veils remained she was a breath away from him. She removed the third to last veil and dragged it across her bare torso before hanging it on an ornate fixture of the chair. She could feel his eyes locked on the remaining two veils and knew that the time had come. She drew her hands up her sides and knew that his eyes were tracking the slow movement of her palms; over the tops of her thighs, up the sides of her glistening stomach, skimming over the edges of her breasts to the scarves.

Kel felt him stiffen with impatience and decided it was time to oblige him. The music grew louder, her heartbeat grew louder, blood rushed in her ears blocking all noise except the deadly slide of stiletto blades slipping from their temporary sheathes. Admittedly the scarves looked strange with the blade supporting them and they barely covered the silver shine from the knives, but the king had others things on his mind and paid no attention to the scarves. He was intently focused on the thin gauzy fabric covering her chest and parts that were exposed to his gaze, heaving and glistening with oil and sweat, not noticing that the last to scarves were cloaks for death. When Kel leaned forward to slash his throat, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in closer intending to have his way with her…but he was never given a chance. The blades completed their deadly purpose. Kel felt the blades dip deep into his throat…one on either side of his jaw. She brought them together swiftly cross his throat and ended with her arms crossed in front of her, blades in the opposite side that they started from. His death was quick, but messy. Her hands and arms were coated in thick coopery blood. The scent of it filled her nostrils and made her sick. Still, it poured out. Now, it gurgled from his mouth, as well. A waterfall of warm life-giving blood slipped out of what was once his throat, she could feel it running down their intertwined legs and into a think dark pool at her feet. Kel moved back slowly. Despite her caution she slipped and landed in the pool of blood. It coated her legs and part of her back. Kel looked down at herself in disgust, she wanted his blood off of her but the heavy beat of the drums from the musicians was a constant reminder…she had get up and get out. When she reached the door Lilith was waiting, a bloody dagger in her right hand and a black ring around her left eye. They nodded to each other and moved away toward the dark end of the passage. Lilith moved with confidence through the winding maze of the palace and at last Kel found herself drawing deep breaths of the heady night air. In front of them the temple waited and in front of that two horses saddled and ready to go. There was no need for words, they mounted and swiftly…hooves pounding against the cobblestone street the raced toward the harbor and the dawn. Where destiny waited….

* * *

Tell me what you think... 


	17. Chapter 17

The ocean stretched out before them. The water was glowing pitch, its intensity broken by the large ships and small lights of the harbor. Their horses plunged down the narrow road. The King's blood that had been warm and sticky before was hard and drying in the cold night air. Kel could feel the chill of the night rushing across her skin, pulling at the thin fabric of the outfit and rushing across her shaved scalp. Kel felt her muscles straining but she reveled in the momentary feeling of freedom. She didn't know what was ahead of her but she stove toward it hoping that it was better than what was behind her. The ship that they were to sail on loomed ahead of them and grew bigger with every slam of the horses hooves. She couldn't seem to drag enough air into her straining lungs but the burn was washed away in the heady waves of adrenaline. At last they reached the warf, the stench of fish was heavy in the air and though it was the dead of night it was alive and crawling with lowest of low and the scum of the city. Kel felt hyper aware of the dried blood caking her skin and of the scant covering that she was trying to pass off as clothes, but no one glanced her direction save one man. He moved swiftly from the door of a eating house to her side.

"I'd dismount, was I you…" Kel looked at him, and then at Lilith who shook her head…this man was no Rogue.

"And why, sir, would such a course be necessary?" Kel queried. For the first time in many months she felt terribly naked in her outfit and lost without Griffin at her side. The man smiled, straight white teeth in a crooked mouth.

"Because the harbor guard is coming this way…and I'd not like to see you detained." A discrete flick of his eyes highlighted seven board shouldered forms moving her way. Kel dismounted but it wasn't enough time for her to hide before the guards were upon them. Kel grasped for an excuse, but none came, though she was temped to say that she had fallen. In her silence, the man spoke. He seemed to ignore the seven guards at his back and spoke as if they were not there.

"And my wife…how is she? I know you say the baby is still born…but all this blood is it my wives? I knew I should have been there, but I was hustled from the room before I could even think about staying. Please tell me that my wife isn't dead?" the man grew quiet hysterical in the span of a few moments. He paused for Kel to jump in, but she didn't know what to say…again the man spoke.

"Your quiet, Midwife…that speaks more to me then words. This hour I have lost much; my still born infant daughter, my wife, and my heart. Yet you, still covered in the mark her death came so swiftly to find me in my misery that I would faint for waiting. I thank you. Now, let us go to my home. I'll need your help to understand what has happened." He grabbed Kel's hand and turned to were the guards are still standing he paused to acknowledge them briefly before pulled her past them. When at last they were safely past the guards and Lilith had found her back to their side with the horses, the man spoke again.

"I have a brother, who happens to be the only oracle in the lower city. Whiles he's kept the lower class Tortalian accent, I've traded up. The name is Jack and I am pleased to meet you, Lady Knight. I've been sent by the Hag herself to ensure that you safely reach the shores of Carthak, which is convenient because I'm the Captian of a ship of passage and…trade." His smile grew broader to match Kel's.

"I'm glad it's convenient for you, but my first impression of was one of intelligence…now I have to re-think all of my assumptions of you. After-all no one with half-brain would get involved with her Hagness." The man chuckled happily.

"Good thing I don't have half a brain, then?" Kel laughed heartily.

"I like you…your sarcastic…" The man smiled and nodded. He motioned for Kel and Lilith to follow him to the ship. The tall three masted Man of war ship rose from the harbor like a kraken, consuming the sky above it. Its sails were the color of fresh blood and its name was the "Hag's Revenge." Kel smiled…a pirate ship. The Hag had picked a pirate ship and black hearted scoundrels to carry them to Carthak. When at last the stood on the deck of the ship, Kel glance around…She could smell adventure in the air.

* * *

Please Review!! 


	18. Chapter 18

Kel remembered being introduced to the crew but they had little time to talk and she was barely aware of anything accept the thick dried blood coating her body. Every movement made it pinch and pull at the skin it had caked onto. The man, who the crew identified as Black Jack, led her away from the deck after only a few minuets. He had ordered a bath prepared for her in her cabin. It was in that bath that Kel came to grips with the reality of the situation. She'd been sitting in the cooling water, having scrubbed her skin pink, when she looked down. The blood from her skin and changed the water to a deep red color. With a cry of alarm she leapt from the tub and wrapped herself in the long night gown set on her bunk for her. Kel felt sick looking at the water but knew that it was no time to get squeamish. Plans were already set in motion; she was on her way to Carthak. She could feel the waves gently rocking against the bow of the ship, like a lover's gentle caress and the wind filling sails like praise fills the ears of its recipient.

She crawled into bed and curled her spine into the curve of the bulkhead, letting the night slip away into her dreams…

(SCENE CHANGE)

Dom and Neal fought their way through the remaining loyal guards. This morning just as dawn had broken the night and filled the city with its loving light, a thin crying voice and broken the damp stillness.

'The king is dead…The King is dead…' at first it was hard to say weather or not the voice was rejoicing or mourning but as the cheers began to rise from the lower city it was clear that the injustice of the king had spared no one. Now came their part in the plan. To place Trevon on the throne. Of course he knew nothing of this plan…he simply wanted to lead his life, but Poet had agreed with Kel and Kali's. Trevon would installed tomorrow morning…if everything went as planned. So far, nothing had. The guards were supposed to have deserted their positions, but as they started their assault on the castle they'd been confronted with hundreds loyal guards ready to fight to save the sanctity of the throne. They seamed to believe that Maggur was the first and only great Scanran king and that those who had something to do with his death deserved to die. It had been a hard fought battle to take the castle but…Dom and Neal were tireless and the members of the Rouge who stood at their back were crafty, a formidable match for an enemy that nearly tripled their size. Dom had been in the harbor, against orders of course, when Kel had arrived. He'd seen her board the 'Hag's Revenge' and followed the ships progress out to sea until it was beyond his vision. Dawn had crept in as he stood there, hoping against his gut feeling that Kel would okay, that she would return to him swiftly. He turned to face his own destiny, knowing that Kel's lay on a distant shore, out of his hands. The castle had to be taken, to ensure that all those who remained loyal to the old king were punished. Trevon's reign would begin on a note of violence, but he felt confident that Trevon's Scanra would rise from the ashes of its previous failures and into a place in the sun, like a phoenix rising from death. They had reached the King's court, when the last of the guards surrendered. Left with no hope and no king, the loyalist swore an oath in blood to the new king. Priests were rushed into the palace to prepare Trevon to receive the might of the crown. When at last all the rituals were completed, Dom had been awake for two days straight and the stench of death had cleared from the palace. King Trevon was crowned at the rebirth of the sun, dawn. In two days a headstrong female knight and those who followed her had reordered the entire future of a country. Dom laughed lightly as he watched Trevon walk out to great his people.

"What's so funny? I could use some humor." Neal had insisted that he attend the ceremony, but the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. As one of the strongest healers in the district, Neal had been in charge of caring for those in their number who'd been injured. He barely stand now, but Dom knew his cousin was a proud man, who would keep going until his body simply refused to go any further.

"It really wasn't that funny. I was just thinking. In literally two days we've changed the entire future of this country. Imagine what Kel could do with a few weeks or gods forbid a few months. Imagine what she's going to do with the rest of her life…" Dom trailed of allowing Neal to think it over, but Neal didn't need any time.

"I knew that she would shake things up the second I saw her in the hallway with all the other pages in the palace. That's why I became friends with her, I'd hate be on the receiving end of that kind of life altering passion. Truly think about it for a moment, Dom, Kel sees everyone as equal. She believes that the world is filled with injustice and things can be made right by simply caring for others, by simply doing the right thing. She has more power to change things than even you or I can grasp." Dom looked at Neal in confusion.

"When did you get so smart Meathead?" Dom turned to face the King but he felt Neal's eyes boring into the side of his face.

"I've always been this smart you just didn't notice you armor for brains, no good…" Neal never got to finish because the King began to speak drawing their attention.

"Change is never easy. It is hard, it requires sacrifice and a willingness to fight for what it right. For too long you have been oppressed. It is a King's job to protect his people, not hurt them. To guide them, not mislead them. To stand before them as a shield, not cower back from the front lines. I am as new to this as you are, but the courage of one Knight, turned slave, turned dancer, turned rebel, turned heroine, who in truth turned into our savior to remind me that Scanra was once a strong country who needed no one and existed in peace. This one person, Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, risked life, limb, and future, to save a people who would have killed her given the chance. I aspire to be like her, to stand before you in the humblest way that I can. As a man searching to better himself in your eyes, and as a King who wants to do his best to care for you and make your lives easier. Bear with me and I will bear you into a new and better future…"

(SCENE CHANGE)

Owen was standing outside an unmarked room in the palace. It was a dark corner of the fortress, difficult to find unless you were looking for it, and very close to the palace stables. He knew his duty but he also knew the temper he was going to be met with when the door was opened. He could here someone stumbling around inside and raised his hand to knock.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah…hold your horses." Though his speech had improved under Kel's tutelage, Tobe still had a street attitude and slag when he spoke. When at last he opened the door, Owen was faced with a cleanly dressed and courtly looking young boy.

"Master Owen?" Tobe's voice was suspicious he knew as well as everyone else why Owen was here. After Kel escaped into Scanra to save the refugees Owen and Tobe had formed an alliance to see to Kel's health and well-being, and they were to keep the other informed of her actions. Owen was here to fulfill the last part of the agreement because Tobe was currently studying under Daine at the palace. Though Tobe wasn't sure what she had done this time, he knew that it couldn't be good if Owen was at his door step.

"Tobe…I have something to tell you…" Owen was cut of by a sharp question from Tobe.

"What did she do this time?" Owen looked sheepish but explained that Kel had fallen in with the Rouge, been kidnapped while on boarder patrol, sold as a slave to the King of Scanra, and as far as their reports could tell had killed King Maggur, installed a new king, and was on her way to Carthak via a Pirate ship called the 'Hag's Revenge.'

"She has so much explaining to do when she gets back here? What does she think that just because I'm here in Corus, which was her idea, she can go off on adventures all by herself? She never takes good care of herself when she's alone. The animals yes…but she forgets to eat and sleep. Oh…she's going to have a LOT of stuff to make up for when she gets here?" Tobe continued to rant but Owen had tuned him out catching only snippets of the tirade. 'And Pirates? What was she thinking sailing with pirates?...'

* * *

Please Review!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!! 

Owen smiled; Kel was going to be in trouble when she got home…


	19. Chapter 19

Dom and Kel Fluff…this chapter will have a little of the story in it but…it will be mostly fluff.

START

* * *

Kel drifted in and out of her dreams, letting her fears and desires slip into the unconscious world. As the swirling mists of the sleeping world wrapped their gentle arms around her a voice called out into the haze.

"So you know what you're fighting for…" Kel felt the dream shift. She could feel her body and the floor beneath her feet.

The room that she as in was like nothing she had ever seen before. The ceiling was arched upward, stretching toward the heavens. The arches were small and supported at the corners by large white marble pillars. The floor was pitch colored marble and covered in a thick mist. Kel moved forward, confused. The floor was chilly and it sent cold shivers racing up her spine.

"Hello?" her voice rang out into the room, but it echoed back. She stared ahead of her, the room stretched out forever and ever. She turned around to find that it was the same in the other direction. She wanted to run, but the open vastness of the space was stifling. Her eyes forward, she took off. The columns stretched out in every direction, horizontal and vertical, that and this, an endless parade of marble sentries. Kel ran until her lungs burned, but still she glanced around herself as she propelled herself onward. Until, at last she hit a solid form. Whatever it was; it was warm and gripped Kel tightly. Panting she looked toward her capture, only to be caught in the deep cerulean eyes of Dom.

"Dom...?" her voice was breathy and barely covered the space between them. The question had only just reached his ears, but his lips where quick to respond. They swept down on Kel's, consuming her with their passion. Kel couldn't help but wrap her arms tightly around him and pull him closer trying to weld their bodies together. Their lips were ferocious feasting on one another. One of Dom's hands was tangled in hair tilting and angling her head so that he could have better access to her mouth. The other was wrapped tightly around her center, pressing them together. Dom broke the kiss to inhale deeply before he lowered his head and moved his attention down to her throat. His hand pulled at Kel's head forcing her to expose her neck to his sensual attention.

"Gods Kel. I don't know if this is real, but I hope you are feeling the same things that I am." He breathed his words against her collarbone before placing a gentle kiss at the base of her throat. His mouth left her then, but his arms pulled her body closer to his. She could hear his heart beating frantically against his chest and she could feel the gentle tremors in his body.

"Dom…why are you here?" Her voice was broken with unshed tears.

"I don't know…I just want to hold you." His grip tightened around her body.

Kel took a deep breath and Dom's heady masculine scent made her dizzy with joy.

It seemed that time stretched on forever and simply ceased to be as they stood in the endless room, surrounded by their stoic marble guardians. Kel moved to head back to look into his eyes when she noticed that he was fading from her arms.

"Dom…" panic overtook her mind. She couldn't fight it off, not like when she was in battle, this panic was all consuming and unrelenting.

"Dom?" He didn't respond at first but after staring into her eyes for a moment he spoke.

"Kel, I want you to know something. In case this is real, and stranger things have happened to me then having a dream be real, I love you. There is a road laid out for you. I don't know where it will take you but…I won't be able to go with you. I want you to know that you are going to change the world. Remember who you are and what you believe and you can't go wrong. Even if you think you're alone, when you feel like you have nothing left, remember that I'll be right here." Dom was nothing more than an ethereal figure now, see through and weightless, still she felt his hand as it laid on her chest across her heart.

"I'll be right here…" his voice trailed off as he faded back into nothing.

IN TORTALL

Jonathan found himself face to face with a group of people that he wasn't sure he ever wanted to see again. Alanna, he'd expected her to side with Kel in this, but Myles, George, Wyldon, Numair, and Daine, he hadn't expected. Gary had been at his back since the beginning of this fiasco. Myles had just finished his report of the recent events in Scanra. Not only had Keladry killed the former king of Scanra and succeeded in installing a new king, she was now on a boat to Carhtak and they had no notion of when she'd come home.

"She has betrayed her oath to this country!" Jonathan interjected angrily.

"She is a hero; she is responsible for ending this war." Alanna said, surprisingly calm despite her white knuckle grip on the arms of her chair.

"She was first and foremost a sworn knight of this realm." Gary responded calmly from beside him.

"She is a champion of the people. They look up to her, even Alanna hasn't gained this much fame. Kel is a people's champion. Alanna is the King's Champion and as such there are certain lines that she can't cross. Kel…she is just like them, they see her as one of them and she treats them as equals…no matter where she is she will be a hero and a force of change…Don't do something stupid because your afraid Jon." Numair was always blunt, but even Jon was shocked by his words.

"I'll give her one more chance, but after that my judgment on her fate will stand. Unquestioned." No one stood when he did, and he left the room with six pairs of eyes boring into his back.

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!!!! 


	20. Chapter 20

Dom faded into nothing, as his waking state pulled his subconscious back to the real world, but for Kel the dream continued. She stood for a moment feeling the loss of Dom like a physical blow. She had only a few moments to ponder the air of farewell around him before another stronger presence captured her attention. This presence made itself known like a war-axe swinging itself into her temple. She turned swiftly to find herself face to face with a glowing figure. It was a tall blond man. His shoulders were broad and framed by a fur vest, the only thing he wore to cover the pale expanse of his chest. His wild honey colored hair was free and hung down to his lower back. In the front of his hair, at his temple, were two braids. The ends of the braids were decorated with two small gold beads. The beads weighed down the tendrils of hair making them hang straight down even as the figure moved forward toward Kel. The figure had the glow of the gods, but his warrior looks were undeniable. His bare chest was roped by thick scars and his breaches were a thick serviceable material. He seemed to be appraising her as she returned the favor; she could help but wonder what he saw.

"One of my followers called me to give you a gift." The man spoke. His voice was the chill of the northern mountains and the cry of a warrior whose life was the battle field. It echoed in her head like a battle cry cutting the silence of a fresh field.

"Who are you, sir?" Her voice was strong now, the moment called for strength, so she pushed away her fear and confronted this new figure.

"I am the patron God of Scanra. My name is Ezekiel the Brave; I'm a God of Warriors and War. My follower Trevon, called to me. He is one of my blessed and I could do none other than grant his wish. He said that you held his honor and he wants you to have the glory of all warriors." He must have read the confusion on her face because he started to tell her a story.

"When the first warrior was created by Mother Flame and Father Universe, he was unsure of his purpose. He was driven to kill, to find those who had done wrong and send them for judgment before the Black God. He didn't understand why he needed to kill. He was afraid that if he didn't kill then his Mother and Father would be disappointed in him, but he had no way to tell them of his accomplishments. So he decided that for every important kill he would string a single bead into his hair and attach it to a braid. Before long, the warrior's hair was all braids and it became too hard to fight with his hair so thick and heavy. He decided that for every important kill he would make a sacrifice to his Mother and Father, and he would ware a bead for the honor of the fallen and one for his first kill. He left the rest of his hair long and loose down his back. My children's legends say that it is how all warriors are to show their prowess. The longer their hair and the color of their beads, affected their competence in battle and their status in the world. You, child, will wear the warriors pride." He reached his hand out and ran his fingers through the fine fuzz of hair that had barely taken root on her scalp. She could feel his magic pouring across her scalp and she dreaded the outcome. When he pulled his hand away, Kel's head felt heavy. She pulled a strand of hair foreword and glanced at it in horror. Her hair was long and thick, it had grown, from the peach-fuzz of hair she had left Scanra with past its normal shoulder length to long and wavy locks that ran own to her lower back. She looked up at Ezekiel in horror.

"What have you done?" Her voice quivered…to many changes to quickly…everything was overwhelming to her.

"My warriors wear their hair long to show their respect and honor for me." His hand reached out to her temple. He ran his fingers through the hair at her temple and she felt the hair braiding itself in his hands wake.

"You are not one my chosen, but you will have the honor of my nation." At the base of the braid a small gold bead, like the ones in his hair, appeared. He repeated this, but when the bead appeared it was blue.

"This is Trevon's bead, made by his hand as a memento of his first kill. You will hold the honor of a king." His paused at the base of the braid and looked at her with regret.

"You can never be a chosen follower, of any god, and the road that has been laid before you is hard. Just remember that those who love you, will love you no matter what happens…" The God's glow and body began to fade.

"Why are you fading?" Kel asked, confused as to what was happening.

"This is a dream. You have many more visitors before Ganiel is done with you. I hope that your path may be as smooth as possible, may the wind be at your back, may the road rise to meet you, and may the rain fall softly on your fields…" The god faded from view and left Kel with many questions.


	21. Chapter 21

Please Review and tell me what you think!!

* * *

As Ezekiel the Brave faded from her view and his presence stopped sending chills down her spine, Kel pondered his statement. 'You can never be a chosen follower, of any god…' why? Why was any of this happening? Why had the Graveyard Hag come to her? Why was she on a pirate ship on her way to Carthak and not on her way home?

She barely noticed the new presence that filled the expansive room with its presence.

"I'll answer your questions." The voice was wispy and reminded Kel of a night wrapped in the warmth of a thick wool blanket. She turned and looked around the room, before her eyes locked on a shimmering form. She couldn't see anything but dark eyes that gazed out of pale face. The face was distinctly male, but his form faded underneath a heavy coat and into the mist around them.

"Who are you?" Kel asked

"My name is Ganiel and I am the God of Dreams. I have come here to help you, it seems that I forgot a debt of mine to the Graveyard Hag, and she has found that this is the time for me to repay her." His face curved into a smirk, inviting her to join in his humor, but Kel felt all of her questions bubble up inside of her.

"Why is all of this happening?" Kel cried out.

"Your destiny was set long before you drew breath, little bird." Ganiel moved and Kel could see his gentle pale hands. He moved his hand toward her face and gently ran his fingers through her hair. Kel drew a deep breath.

"Ezekiel said that I can never be the chosen of any god…why? If can I never been the chosen, why have I been given gifts from them? The Hag said that I could have no help from the God's; doesn't that mean that they should be talking to me? Explain please!" Kel felt the weight of the past few days resting on her shoulders.

"You are supposed to be a hero who exists for the people. Without any interference from the Gods, without our help, you are supposed to change the world. I know that the Hag said that you were to be untouched by the Gods…but she doesn't truly understand the depth of your importance. You are to be the un-favored of the great Gods, the beloved prodigy of the lesser Gods, child of many different kings, and the hero of all. You will be blessed by the lesser Gods, Called family by the king's of many different nations, and when you walk into a city they will know who you are. You will be a catalyst for change and a true hero. Be strong, you are going to have a long road between here and home but it will be a road of great discovery and change." Ganiel ran his fingers down her cheek. With out any warning her leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"You are going to wake up now; I know that this has all been over whelming for you. I'll give you another dream when you have had a little time to adjust. See you soon…Little Bird…."

His voice trailed and echoed in the vast room. She hadn't noticed when her eyes drifted closed but when she pulled them open again she was awake and a concerned Black Jack was starring down at her.

"Hello Little Bird, have you decided to fold your wings and rejoin the living for the moment?"

* * *

A nice short chapter to tide you over until I can write more!!! 


	22. Chapter 22

Kel watch the rolling ocean spread out to either side of ship. As far as her eyes could see the briny deep consumed her vision. She'd heard say that the ocean was a woman, and she could where the legend came from. The sea was fickle and treacherous, favoring a crew one moment and leaving them stranded the next, her satiny blue gown topped in little caps of lace and rolling out in a splendid display of pomp. Kel locked eyes with the looming black clouds that dominated the horizon line. The air was heavy with tension as the seasoned sailors of the _Hag's Revenge _prepared for the incoming storm. Kel turned back to the deck of the _Hag's Revenge _and found Black Jack commanding his men from the helm. He'd been a firm support for her these last few days. The things Ganiel had said still haunted her and left her plagued with doubt.

Since she woken up two days ago, she'd stayed mostly to herself, trying to get control of all of the doubt and fear within her. She'd also tried to cut her hair and found that it simply grew back, so she had made her peace with it and tied it back in a severe braid. A deep sigh exploded from her chest as she moved away from the railing and toward Jack. Her eyes hard and filled with an intense need to accomplish her task. When she was close enough to smell the musk that was distinctly his she spoke.

"You owe me an explanation, Jack. Call on the Hag I want to talk to her." Jack locked eyes with her and for a moment she knew why he was a feared pirate captain, his eyes were the color of pitch and to Kel they were the spiting image of the forest around Corus at night when winter had the city in her icy grip. He turned away from her for a brief moment and gazed at the oncoming storm.

"You can call on me yourself, Dearie. You just have to say the word." A voice echoed across the dead still of the deck. Kel tensed her shoulders and spoke, knowing exactly who was behind her, but too angry to turn and confront the Hag face to face.

"You are worthless. You want me to save your country, you ask me to be your hero, but you force me to give up everything I care about. To risk everything that I have worked so hard for, for a nameless group of people, people that I don't want to have anything to do with. I hate you. I want to go home now…" Kel felt angry tears gather in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She turned and poured the full weight of her hatred, distrust, fear, and doubt on the Hag Goddess.

"Better yet, I wanted the choice. I wanted it to be my choice; I wanted to lay down the shield when I was ready. I wanted a place to rest my head that was my own, where I could live in peace. You took that from me, I want it back." Kel knew that she wasn't making very much sense but she couldn't hold back all of the things that she'd kept bottled up since she'd woken up from Ganiel's dream.

"You want the choice?" The Hag's voice was laced with sarcasm and something else that Kel couldn't place at the moment but knew she should be suspicious of.

"Yes! I don't want this. I want to choose my own fate. I want…I want…." Kel felt her knees go weak as she collapsed onto the deck on the ship. She rested her hands gently on her knees with her palms up. She stared at them in horror. They were lined and scared from her training and life, the scars were surrounded by thick calluses and ridges that made her hands seem more worn.

"I want a life." Kel looked up and her eyes met the sympathetic stare of the Hag, "I want a reason to care." The hag's face shifted into a smirk and she moved closer to Kel.

"I'll give you a chance to change your fate. I'll roll you for your trip home." Kel watched in fascination as a pair of dice appeared in the Hag's hand. Kel glanced down at her own as another set of dice appeared.

"I'll roll first." Kel knew the legend of the Hag's weighted dice but she knew that at least this way she could justify it to herself when she lay in bed at night. The dice rolled off her hand into the space in front of her. The Hag smiled. From behind her Black Jack spoke.

"Seven." His voice was low and ruff sending chills down her spine. She barely spared him a side glance as she waited for the Hag to roll. She didn't have to wait, the Hag's dice clacked against the hard wood of the deck and echoed across the expansive deck and split the open air. Her first dice landed on the six, a second passed before the second dice landed another six.

"Twelve." Again Black Jack's spoke. His mouth was right by her ear when he spoke this time. She could feel his hot breath bathing her neck.

"All right, Hag. You have your hero." Kel scooted away from Jack and stood. She stuck her hand out to the Hag, striking an accord with the elderly Goddess.

"When everything is said and done, I want a set of those dice." Kel said gently.

"If you pull this off, I'll give you my set." The Hag smiled and looked out across the ocean.

"Watch out, duckies, there's a storm coming." Kel glanced at the storm, out of the corner of her eye she saw Black Jack smack himself on the forehead and roll his eyes. Kel turned back to comment to the Hag about her powers of observation, but she was gone from the deck. Kel drew a deep breath; she had a job to do and the sooner she got to it the better…that meant making it thought this storm.

"What can I do to help?" Kel questioned gently.

"Well…I have a few things you can do." Black Jack smiled and looped his arm around her shoulders, dragging her off toward the ratlines with a loopy smile on his face.


	23. Chapter 23

* * *

The storm had ripped at them for the last two days leaving everyone except Black Jack with a horrid case of seasickness, particularly Lilith who had been sick since setting foot on the _Hag's Revenge. _How Jack had managed to stay unaffected no one knew, but their misery made him a favorite target for mumbled death threats and practical jokes. He was none to happy with them, but no one could keep the smiles from their faces as they looked out across the expanse in front of them. Carthak stretched out in all its glory. The river was wide and colored like the mud of the banks. From the edges of the banks reeds shot upward in clumps of green in a dry and unforgiving place. The Palace rose above the edge of the river. A Gleaming white example of man's greed and a temple built to gold and silver. Kel remembered learning about Ozorne in her history class as a page. She knew that Kaddar and Kalasin had a tenuous grip on the country and that the Hag had plans for her here in the city. Kel's eyes drifted away from the palace and into the city. It was grimy and dirty; she could feel the stillness rolling off of it in waves. There was something brewing in the city, but for the moment Kel focused on the palace. She needed to get a message to Kalasin and in turn to Jonathan. The stench of the harbor crawled up her nostrils and curled up in the pit of her stomach, making her retch. It was the fetid smell of years of human waste and debris baking in the scorching heat of the sun. Docking was a slow process of various government officials; each one needing more gold and more incentive to let them dock in the city. The dock was filled with people, all of them adding to the thick choking stench of life and death in the small confined space that was Carthak. 

Moving away from the waste and decay of the harbor, Kel and Lilith made their way toward the Palace. She felt the buildings of the city and the strength of the castle wrap their arms around her, for a moment she felt comforted but it was a fleeting feeling. The noise and bustle of the city pressed down on her. She inhaled and took herself back into her Yamani self. Getting into the palace was no problem, it seemed the servants of the palace had been warned of their impending arrival, still they were taken down into the bowls of the castle to meet with the Queen and King. In the depth of the castle, Kel again felt the creeping feeling of being consumed and overwhelmed by the thickness of the walls and the knowledge that above them soil and stone supported everyday life.

"My father is furious." Queen Kalasin remarked as she entered the narrow room where Kel and Lilith were waiting. Kel's eyes locked on hers and a feeling of companionship washed away her previous claustrophobia and delusions of the roof collapsing in on them. Kel's lips drifted into a smirk, of course King Jonathan was upset…but she already knew that he was going to be furious.

"I don't suppose you could put in a good word for me, Your Majesty?" Queen Kalasin smiled lightly in response.

"I can try, but he doesn't really listen to anyone unless his life is under duress." Queen Kalasin turned to her husband and smiled lightly.

"Darling, I need a moment alone with Keladry." King Khaddar nodded and waved Lilith to exit the room before him. With a nod at his wife and Keladry he closed the door tightly behind him.

"I know that something is going on here, but you need to find a way to get back to Tortall as soon as possible. My father…he wants to try you as a traitor to the crown. You have a lot of allies very close to my father, but he won't listen to reason for very long." Kalasin looked down and pressed her long fingers into her eyes trying to force away a headache.

"I'm afraid that something beyond your control is happening here…I just don't know what. By the way…what happened to your hair? I've never seen it this long, and Aunt Alanna tells me you usually keep it short…how did it get so long?" Kel sighed and ran her hand across the harsh braid that ran parallel down her spine.

"The Hag has decided that I have a destiny here in the city, in fact several Gods have decided that I have things to do. The hair…sigh…It was a gift from Ezekiel the Brave, the First Warrior. He blessed me with this as a symbol of warrior's pride. I can't cut it off…so I'm learning to cope…" Kel drew a deep breath and continued. "Try to explain this to your father. The path I walk is no my own. I have been destined to walk this path since before I was born. sigh He has to understand that…he has to understand that I have no choice." Kel was desperate, King Jonathan could take away everything she had worked so hard for, she'd keep her wager with the hag a secret for now…all the King needed to know was that the Gods were involved and that her fate was no her own.

A hand placed firmly on her shoulder interrupted her morbid and strange ponderings.

"I'll do my best. He won't listen, but I will tell everyone I can. They'll do there best to ensure that the trial doesn't happen." Kalasin squeezed her shoulder, "Don't worry…They God's won't abound you to fate…trust in them and they will carry you farther than you can imagine." Kel nodded and followed Kalasin out into the hall. Lilith and her moved swiftly through the underbelly of the castle, after making their goodbyes to the royal couple. The tunnel they traveled let them out in the center of what could only be described as the lower city. An area that Linhall Reed had never mentioned in class back in Tortall. The buildings where barely even that, they were sloppily constructed of wood and mud, crude attempts to protect the inhabitants from the brutal desert sun. The streets were in much the same fashion, laid down quickly by some ancient King with thought on speed instead of durability of quality; they were cracked and pitted making walking a lesson in observation and patience. Strangely, the streets were empty, Kel could see were the locals would be…should be… but the deep silence of the streets was eerie and made Kel wary. Suddenly a crash of noise from the distance drew their attention. Clouds of smoke broke the horizon line, darkening the pristine blue of the mid-day sky. Lilith needed no prompting; she took off at a sprint following Kel closely. What they came upon stunned Kel into silence and immobility. In front of them was a ring of Mithros' Priests. They were circling a group of unarmed town folk. They were careful to let no one escape their ring, using their gifts and weapons to kill anyone who tried to run. Kel's eyes inspected the buildings that surrounded the courtyard where the macabre scene was playing out. People surrounded the scene, hidden in the shadows. Their faces were filled with outrage, anger, and confusion. Out of the darkness of one of the buildings shadows ran a young boy, his arm flung out grasping at the air in front of him. A Mithran priest turned swiftly, his orange robe fluttered with his swift movement. Kel knew what was coming; she opened her mouth to protest even as her body pitched forward, but deep in her heart she knew that she would be too late. Out of the corner of her eye Kel saw Lilith fling herself forward. It was ungraceful and frankly the most awkward movement that Kel had ever seen but it propelled her to the boy efficiently enough that her arms were tightly around his screaming form, when the magic that the Priest had flung at the child slammed into her back. Kel meet Lilith's shocked eyes. Kel swore that she could see death creep into Lilith's body. Kel understood her purpose; finally, she understood why the Hag and these people needed her. Kel fixed her stare on the eyes of the priest as she pulled the boy from Lilith's lifeless arms and pushed him behind her back. He in turn was fixated on her…a challenge, the promise of the pursuit and the promise of an impending fight hung unbidden in the air between them and decorating the earth around them…the body of a friend and the proof that evil hid itself in the purist and kindest guises. Kel felt the boy run back to the shadows, but she couldn't spare him a glance.

"How dare you interfere with the work of Mithros, the Most High!" the man's voice was deep and resonate, filling Kel with dread this man was powerful…to powerful.

"How dare you cover your sins under the robe Mithos! I will lay you low…You and I will go the distance." Kel drew her sword, but the priests were retreating back toward the temple. The man didn't turn to leave like the rest of the followers; his gaze stayed clamped on hers until he'd entered the doorwar of the temple and left her sight. Kel re-sheathed her sword and knelt beside Lilith. Her shaking fingers closed her lifeless eyes and rolled her over so that the sun fell gently across her face.

"May the Black God grant you peace, The Crooked God grant you may poor saps to steal from, and in the name of Ezekiel the Brave, I promise you will not have died in vain." Kel knelt down and placed her lips gently against hLilith's forehead, she inhaled the scent of Lilith and the ting of charred flesh as she sealed her oath with a kiss.

Kel looked up into the eyes of the people who now filled the courtyard. They knew her pain and she theirs they had bled together and stood now as commrades united aganist the same enemy.

* * *

Please Review... Thanks 


	24. Chapter 24

* * *

The place where Kel made her bed that night was a lean-too, a small room addition hastily thrown up against the wall of small mud brick house. The family who was letting her stay with them owned a small plot of land on the outskirts of the city, facing the great expanse of desert that bordered the city to the south. The walls of her small shelter were taunt fabric stretched between flimsy wooden supports, the walls snapped and creaked in the wild gusts of the desert at night. The fabric and wood were little defense against the might of the desert and every strong gust of air brought more and more of it into her small refuge. She could feel the chill of the night wrapping its cool loving arms around the city and sweeping away the heat of the day as efficiently as the sun had been ushered from the sky. Kel dozed with her head nestled in a hard goat skin pillow with her body burrowed into the sand, which maintained the warmth from the day. Lotus, her new guide to the city, told her that the sand never really cooled down. The heat that she felt warming her body now was the same heat that had oppressed the first people to call this barren rock home. Sleep should have been out of her reach, what with the death of Lilith, and her temporary and tentative assimilation into a select group of rebels called the Lowly…but she drifted in and out of a waking state. It wasn't long before the sun split the night sky and showered the earth in molten rays of glorious morning luminosity. For a few moments Kel lay half awake, feeling the fabric walls of the lean-too gather heat and color, but it wasn't long before Lotus came to her makeshift door with a bundle of clothes and news.

"Rise. We have much to do today…you will need these." The clothes were placed in Kel's arms and the door was tied loosely shut, leaving Kel alone. The clothes were worn, clean smelling but with years of life stretched and patched into their seams and body. Kel slid off her tunic, which had been a gift from Black Jack because she had no clothes of her own save her dancing outfit, and replaced it with another one, this one was loose, made of a light cotton fabric and was soft to the touch, letting the air pass freely through it. Her ragged red skirt, which was now a rusty color thanks to its coating of dirt and stains from King Maggur's blood, was replaced by loose pants made of the same material as the tunic. Kel pulled the strings at the top of the pants tight and fastened them in place then pulled the strings at the bottom tight as she had seen the locals do, tying them off right below her knees. The next item was a length of fabric that she fastened into a hood and neck protection. Her feet were bare and sandy…Kel looked down at them resting against the dark golden sand of the Carthaki desert. Kel opened the door and move to where Lotus waited. She handed Kel a pair of simple slip-on shoes. The soles were leather but the sides were the same gauzy fabric that made her clothes.

"Come, we have much to see and many who need meet you." Lotus didn't wait for Kel to catch up; she moved away and deftly blended into the bustle of the city.

Kel rushed to catch up and found Lotus three blocks away talking to a stout man dressed in nothing but a scrap of cloth covering his privates and flats of leather that were tied tightly to his feet. His crown was bald, glistening in the glare of the sun. His dark honey skin was covered in scars and marks of a hard life, but his mouth was jovial, lined from deep smiles. He spoke good-humoredly to Lotus, before motioning her forward.

"Come…You still have to meet the seer… she doesn't like to be kept waiting." He grabbed Kel's hand and pulled her back into the chaos of the street. Kel didn't fight the hold, knowing that there was no way she could navigate these streets as effectively as him.

"Where are we going?" Kel asked him as they grew closer and closer to the harbor district. He paused for a moment, glanced around, and then pulled her tight against the wall of a building next to them.

"We're going to see the Seer. She sees and talks to the dead. She will speak to those who have died around you and those you have killed…then she will judge your soul and we will decide your fate." He smiled tightly and they were off again. Before long they came to a place where it looked like the road had completely fallen in, the hole was covered by wooden planks. The man stopped and knelt beside the top of the wooden planks. He paused when he had lifted the section about half-way up.

"I realized that I haven't introduced myself yet. Sometimes I forget to do stuff…but I always remember later. My name is Zoser. You name is Kel right?" Kel nodded and Zoser smiled before he crawled into the hole. Kel followed him and found herself in a long ancient hallway. Zoser pulled a torch from a holder on the wall and began walking. The light from torch made the lines of the archaic pavers seem darker and it lent power to the shadows of the hall. At last they came to a door tucked into the wall. It was surrounded by heavy granite stone that made a protective arch around the door. Zoser opened the door and pushed her into the dark room.

"Hello Keladry of Mindelan, Protector of the small." Kel had been looking at the door trying to find a way out when the voice came from the darkness behind her. Kel turned swiftly and from the shadow stepped a small form. The figure was cloaked in a shiny black satin robe that covered everything but her face. Her hair was scraggly and white, the same white as her eyes. Kel knew the woman was blind, but she felt a power role over her body.

"Are you the Seer?" Kel's voice filled the dark room.

"Yes, Keladry…Now let's see your trail of bodies." Kel didn't have time to respond before the Seer's pale hands rested on her temples and her power poured into Kel's body,

twin screams echoed in the room and hallway.

* * *

PLEASE REVEIW!!!


	25. Chapter 25

A lot of the spelling mistakes where edited out!! Sorry about that!!

* * *

Kel felt like she had awoke from a bad dream, or from the first time she'd had spirits. It was strange because she'd never fallen asleep. Kel was deep within herself, in the place in the soul where shadows of the living and the dead who had affected her life and whose life she had effect were stored. She was alone in the swirling black void surrounded by the voices of those who she had laid to waste, by her hand or by her actions. The voices were loud and persistent in their hate of her, Kel accepted that dislike calmly. She had wanted to be a knight her entire life, but she had never counted on the killing and the death that would follow her around as surely as her sparrows and Jump did.

'_Murderer…murderer….murderer….murderer…murderer….'_

'_You're nothing but a worthless chit who's no better than she aught to be…'_

'_Cold-blooded whore…'_

'_Lump…'_

'_Bitch…'_

'_I would have killed you myself…'_

Kel pressed her hands against her ears trying to block out the sound, but the voices grew louder and she could hear them echoing through her head.

'_Nothing but a worthless slave…'_

'_You couldn't kill me honorably you had to sneak up on me…'_

Kel felt a tear roll down her cheek as the voices continued to taunt her.

"Stop!" a voice cried. From the veil of darkness around Kel, stepped the Seer.

Her pale unseeing eyes were wide and a small trail of blood ran in a thin jagged line down her jaw. She shook her head in rage.

"You've killed too many, too much blood is on your hands. You've killed too many, too much blood is on your hands…" She moved toward Kel with outstretched hands, her eyes mad with rage.

'_NO!' _The voice rang out from the din of the other voice. From the nothing, much like the Seer, stepped a thin wavering visage of Dom. From behind him stepped Neal, Alanna, Toby, Owen, Raoul, and many others. More stepped from behind her and from her other side until she was half surrounded by shimmering forms of people. Some where still living so the images were nothing but memories of their living selves, those who were dead were more solid then the forms of the living but their forms were barely more human then the forms of the living. It was Dom who placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"You're wrong about this one Seer…" Another presence boomed into life beside and Kel glanced over to see Ezekiel and the Hag standing beside her. She opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it when Ezekiel shook his head. Another voice spoke from behind her.

"Some of us are happy to have died for her; she brings peace to our souls. Those who have influenced you are nothing more than the shadows of evil that exists is her past." Kel turned to see Gil smiling strongly at her. Kel wanted to turn and embrace him but she knew that she needed to keep the Seer in sight to ensure her safety. A small voice broke through all of the noise of evil and the rising cries of good.

"She is the protector of the small." Kel looked to see Irani, the Seer from the village standing in front of her. The Hag goddess smiled cruelly at the Seer, and moved toward her.

"You've made a mistake, Seer. This one is the greatest of my un-favored, she is the un-favored of many and the greatest of many…you can know no more than this, except that she will not die by your hand." The Hag cackled cruelly and disappeared in a hazy cloud of silver. Ezekiel shook his head gently.

"She loves dramatics." His voice was calm and kind, like a father patiently explaining why the sky was blue or where babies come from, "Seer?" Ezekiel waited until the Seer had fixed her sightless vision on him, he gently touched her forehead, much like the Seer had done to Kel, and spoke quietly to her. Kel couldn't hear the words because Dom spoke over them.

"Kel," She turned to look at him, "Remember who you are, but don't let it hold you back, in order to survive coming storm, you must be able to bend in the wind while keeping your roots firmly grounded. I know it makes no sense now, but prophecy rarely does. Watch from the guise of kindness and the truth of evil…they will sidle up and smile, while they stab you in the back. Be strong Protector…your days of ease are ending." The others had faded leaving just Dom and her in the darkness of her mind. He reached out his ghostly hand and ran it gently over her skin, leaving a trail of warmth in its path.

"I love you, Kel. Come home when you've done what you need too…I'll be there, waiting." Kel reached out her hand to him, but he faded into the swirling black with others, a sad smile gracing his lips. Kel felt alone, truly alone, and wished for one moment that she had never become a knight that she had never made the choice to lead this life of heroics and cryptic messages, but she they she laughed the thought off. Of course she had chosen to be a knight, no one deserved to be defenseless. Kel felt a hard tug on her astral body and gave in to it, wondering where this next development would take her.

Kel opened her eye and felt a scratchy fur pillowed under her head, her body was half cocooned in sand. She tried to sit up, but the world spun around her quickly forcing her brace herself. When the earth had stopped its sudden and uncontrollable rotation, Kel sat up again and looked around, there was another bed in the tent with her but it was empty, other than that it looked much like her lean-to room at Lotus' house. She contemplated attempting to rise from the bed completely but before she could the Seer walked in with a cup green liquid and Zoser.

"Hello, Un-favored chosen, this will help the fog of the sleep clear." The Seer handed Kel the glass and waited impatiently for her to gulp down the thick strange tasting liquid. The pulp of whatever had the juice was thick and coated her throat but the strange salt tang of the cut through the feeling of cotton in her mouth and the haze the clouded her mind.

"Where am I?" Kel asked through clenched teeth as she pushed back the feeling of nausea that the pulp was causing. The Seer took the glass and went to get some water while Zoser stayed behind.

"We have taken measure of your deeds and found you just; you are being lead to the Stronghold of the Lowly, the last outpost of truth and justice in the land."


	26. Chapter 26

The trip to the fortress of the Lowly was long and arduous. The arid heat of the desert leeched the water and life from her skin, leaving her sunburned and chapped. Luckily Zoser showed her ways to protect her skin and lips. He gave her a salve of plants that would protect her skin from the heat of the sun and a thick lotion of chamomile that returned the moisture to her dry cracked lips. She was sure that if anyone from home saw her now they wouldn't recognize her. Her hair was in a heavy braid down her back covered by a long thin piece of fabric that, much like her veil had been, was attached to her skull by long thin pins of metal woven into braids of her hair. Her scalp itched at first, from the sweat, the fabric, and the pins…but soon they were as comfortable to her as the large baggy gauze pants and sandals that were native to this country. She wondered where Black Jack was, if he had left her from dead in Carthak, or had his promise to the Hag extended further than her delivery to the city. Whatever his fate now was, she was certain that she would see him again. Something deep inside of her told her that he was going be around from sometime. She knew that his destiny was out of his hands as her own and that they were intertwined for better or for worse. With a longing sigh she looked back toward the city as it disappeared behind the dunes, she could see the turquoise sea stretching out like a beacon behind her, it welcomed her but she drew her eyes away and onto the inhospitable dunes of the desert. She knew the path to the Fortress as surely as if she was walking home to Mindelan. She felt as if she was being pulled…she could almost feel the strings of fate pulling her along, like a marionette. When four scorching days had conquered the desert they traveled through and the five nights of at simmering temperature had given then relief from the day…they were confronted with an ancient stone building rising from the sand. The stone was aged and marked from centuries of sandy blasts and penetrating heat…but it was still standing. Kel knew the second that she saw the graceful towers and citadel walls that this was the Fortress of the Lowly. It was a testament to what they believed, for it had withstood nature's cruelty unfazed save a little surface damage, just as they now sought to withstand the cruelty of man. Thousands of dreams were housed and guarded deep in the heart of this granite behemoth. Kel and her companions, the Seer and Zoser, stopped before the gates and waited. The sun had sunk low into the west before a voice called out to them.

"Who goes there?" The voice was deep and rich like cool water running freely in the deep heart of the mountains.

"We come…with one who is chosen and un-favored. The Hag's un-favored and the servant of many, The Protector of the Small." Zoser's words rang clear and true, but the guard was no fool.

"Who is it that carries her to our door? If you are not known to me, how can she who I have never met be made welcome?" Zoser smiled and waited. The Seer spoke next.

" I am the servant of the Crystal House, I am the Seer. This child of foreign soil is sent by the Hag… This man is my guard called Zoser of the Stone house." The guard nodded and moved out of sight for a moment, when he returned a smile had broken his hard face.

"Come in and be welcomed friends." The gates moved gently and persistently outward pushing away sand as the arched toward them. When some semblance of an opening had been created Zoser moved his mount forward, followed by the Seer and lastly by her. Kel had expected to see a city or a resemblance of life with the walls of the refuge, but the courtyard was empty. She followed the Seer's lead and dismounted. They crossed the courtyard quickly and placed their horses in what she assumed were the capable hands of house groom's men. The Seer's determined and confident stride was easy to follow, not easily matched but Kel was content to follow behind her and feed her greedy eyes the scenery in huge chunks. The inside of the Sanctuary was no less scarred then the outside. It seemed that this place was not untouched as Kel had first assumed, after all no one called this ragged outpost home…

The Seer seemed to think their was something more to this listless giant, for she lead Kel swiftly to a door that laid out of place in the farthest corner of the courtyard. Upon opening it, a staircase was revealed to her and down they traveled. The farther they went the more the hair became humid and scented with a variety of strange welcoming scents and some that were familiar and nauseating. The stairs seemed to go on forever, bringing them closer and closer to what sounded like the hustle of a city. Kel's trained eyes spotted guards stationed in alcoves along the way; so far she had county thirty pairs of guards flanking the wide stair case. When it seemed the could go no deeper for fear of falling out the other side of the earth, the hall opened and a gust of strongly scented air slammed Kel back. When her eyes had stopped watering from the potent smell, her breath was stolen from her chest in an astonished gasp. The city lay before them. In front of them and down a small embankment was a large underground lake that supported shops of various different varieties. Some where anchored to a large floating platform in the center of the massive body of water while other faced with their backs to the lake and were anchored to the shore of solid rock, still others were anchored to the large gangplank style walkways that connected the two. Kel glanced up in awe. The city itself was carved out rock. Built in a cavern of ancient stone the city was a marvel of architecture. On the first level, above the lake and shops, were huge house fronts. Each with an inscription above the door and a bustle of activity spewing forth from its doors. The next level appeared to be regular intervals of a wooden door and a small covered window. Houses, Kel realized. These simple structures stretched, in layers, to the very top of the cavern which jutted upward. Zoser must have noticed her confusion at where all the rock had come from and where exactly they were.

"As you travel down those stairs, you travel away from the Fortress. The Fortress is merely a marker to those who seek this city. A place for wandering eyes to latch onto. This is the true Fortress. It is built inside of a large outcropping of rock that rises from the sand about two miles from the center of the upper "Fortress." This is the City of the Lowly, called Icabod, which means without glory." He accompanied his final statement with a grand gesture that swept the city in its broad embrace. Zoser pointed to the grand houses on the first level and explained.

"We have many different distinguishing classes here. To be the greatest at your craft is to be a member of the house of that craft. That is the house of Metal. Craftsmen and women. For those who work with their hands, like Blacksmiths and Carpenters. That is the house of Stone. For guards and those who protect others, like me and in a way you. That is the House of Earth. For those who grow plants and plan this city to ensure its longevity, to be of that house is to be most honored in the city. That is the house of Cloth, filled to the brim with weavers and seamstresses, and those who work with fabric. Next to it is the House of Paper. Don't go in there unless you want a good sleep aid. It's full up teachers and intellectuals, and some who work with books and important papers. There on the other side is the House of Crystal. The house of our friend the Seer. It is the home of all Mages, Oracles, and Seers in the city. The last is the House of Light. Our house of government. For those who make the laws and those who punish the citizens who feel themselves above that law." Each House was indicated with a wave in its direction and a nod in its general vicinity before moving onto the next. Kel was so caught up in the lesson that she failed to notice their ascent of a slightly inclined ramp, to the first level and the short walk to the House of Light until it loomed before them.

"Here is where we will be made welcome. They have many things to ask to you, little friend." Zoser's big smile split his face as he waved at passer bys. It seemed that he knew everyone personally. The Seer was well received but she was not treated like an equal. Instead she was given gestures of respect and quiet curious stares. Kel gulped as she herself turned an inquisitive stare to the grand craved front that emerged in stone in front of her….Zoser leaned close to her and whispered in her ear.

"Make yourself ready, here come the sharks."

* * *

Tell me what you think... 


	27. Chapter 27

This chapter is dedicated to **Silentlady101**...thank you for the review...it brought a huge smile to my face. I hope that you put your story up so that I can read it and about your suggestion...we'll see...I still have a few tricks up my sleeves! (;

* * *

Dom found himself sitting beside Neal at a small table in the king's council room. He knew that he should keep his mind on the current conversation, but he'd already told his version of the story, that is; why they gone to Scanra and what had happened there. Neal had just started his and several others still had to go before he could get some sleep. It had been almost a month since Trevon's coronation. That month had been spent quelling rebellions in Scanra and riding hard to get home. They had arrived early this morning and had been immediately summoned to the King. His thoughts drifted away from the King and his advisors, to where he really wanted to be…with Kel. He knew that she had to do this on her own, that he couldn't help her, but his thoughts constantly found there way back to her side. She was the best thing that had ever happened in his life, everything bad and good had been worth it for the few short moments he'd spent wrapped in Kel's love. He could picture falling asleep next to her each night and waking up next to her every morning. When they got married…wait MARRIED??...did he really want to marry Kel? A smile played across his lips…of course he wanted to marry her…even if it meant he'd be a mockery like Baron Cooper, it was worth it to be with her. He was pulled from his deep thoughts by Kel's name.

"Kel… the trial will commence upon her immediate return to Tortall!' it was Jonathan who had spoken. Dom's eyes fell on a red faced Raoul who was visibly shaking with rage as he sat beside the King. His quickly darted his eyes to Neal, whose eyes burned with silent fury. 'What did I miss?' he thought to himself and refocused his attention on the following conversation, trying to figure out what he had missed.

"Jonathan, do you remember when Alanna was kidnapped at the River Drell, and you disobeyed the King's orders to go and get her…do you?" Jonathan nodded. "This is just like that. She has no choice. If she wanted to save her friends and save her life, she had to kill the King. If you had seen what they had done t her, watched her be sold as a slave, beaten, abused, humiliated…I can't believe that you would even consider her a traitor…" Raoul tried to sound patient but his voice was lined in anger.

'Traitor….' The word echoed ominously through the cavernous room and through Dom's head. He opened his mouth to speak, but the King was already talking.

"She is a traitor. She committed Regicide, she killed a king and installed his usurper into the throne…how is she not a traitor. Now she is Gods knows where, doing Gods knows what…and not here, where she should be. She is my vassal; she cannot act as she has." Raoul started to reply to the King's triad but Barron Cooper, George, silenced him with a look.

"Jon," the King looked at him in question, "You are making a mistake. If Alanna where here she'd have choice words to say to you, so I speak in her stead…representing how we both feel. I can't say what will happen if you try and convict her as a traitor. She is an icon, a symbol of equality and the ever changing future. Many people will be upset and confused by your actions. To be honest, I can't say how many of those close to you will understand either." Dom's eyes trailed along the faces of those who advised the King. In his head he made a list of their alliances and how they would side if the King tried Kel for a traitor.

Myles: Likely to side with Kel

Gareth the Younger: Unsure…may side with Kel because of Alanna

Barron George Cooper: Will side with Kel

Alanna the Lioness: will side with Kel (Fighting in the North…but still on the council)

Numair: Will side with Kel

Daine: Will side with Kel

The Lord Provost: know supporter of Alanna, Likely to side with Kel.

Raoul: Will side with Kel

Gareth the Older: likely to side with Kel

Duke Baird: Will side with Kel

It seemed that the odds were not in the King's favor. As Dom surveyed the group, the King did the same and found the results not to his liking.

"My hand will not be forced. I am the King. I will act in accordance with my own judgment and in the divine law of the Gods." Jonathan's face was red with fury, he wanted to say more, but into the room swept a furious Thyat and Buri.

"A word, darling." Thyat's voice was sharp and left no room for question. The endearment was tacked onto the end with a hard edge. Buri waited until the King and Queen had left the room before she spoke.

"I received a letter from Kalasin today…we have a big problem if the King ever learns what is going on…" Buri shook her head and nodded to Daine.

"Ma…can we talk to you?" There was silence for a moment, but soon a soft disembodied voice echoed through the room.

"Yes, Sweetheart." Daine smiled at the endearment and nodded to Buri.

"Ma'am, my name is Buri. I have it on good authority that the Gods are involved in Kel's fate. Can you tell us what's happening…her life may depend on it?"

"I know you well Buri. I am thankful that is you asking not the Lioness…she is rather… feisty." That brought a laugh to the bleak room. "However, in the case of Keladry of Mindelan, there is little I can tell you. In history, there are a many people who walk a set path; who are destined to be warriors, or healers, or kings, or leaders…but some are given a broken trail. Alanna was gifted by the great mother, so through her road was hard, her falls and her fate was cushioned by the Great lady. Keladry has no such luck. She is what the Hag Goddess affectionately calls…her favored un-chosen. She is the people's champion. Her path is no more her own, then the wind, in all its might. She has many wrongs to right before she can truly rest. She will unite enemies, destroy fake alliances, topple kings, and restore balance. She is a fulcrum, a catalyst for a new world. She will break and be rebuilt into the true hero, one who sees beyond race and class to the heart of people. She will blessed with tokens from many Gods, but she will never be their chosen…she must walk this path alone. I have to go, someone is calling. Good luck all…" the voice faded and the room was dead silent….

Numair drew the symbol of the Gods protection on his chest.

"If the Hag is involved the Kel is Carthak…is that why Kalasin wrote to you?" Buri nodded and pulled out the letter.

"Kel's gone missing. Kalasin is pretty sure she has joined up with a group called the Lowly. A rebel group who are locked in a war with another group called the Red Dawn. The Red Dawn is a large group, most comprised of gifted Mithran priests, who believe that the world is being over run by the lower classes. They believe that the best way to solve this is to kill them off. They guard in Carthak hasn't been able to get their hands on any of them. The Lowly are actually making some progress against them…but they are acting as a vigilante group…Kalasin is worried that her father is acting rashly…" Her voice was cut off when the door slammed opened and the Queen calmly entered.

"This meeting is excused…thank you for you time. I will try to handle Jonathan…just…try to stay out of his way…" Everyone nodded gently to Thyat as they left…few words were spoken, but the looks that they shared spoke volumes…

'What are we going to do?' Dom thought to himself as he left, his heart broke silently…his poor Kel, she would have to face so much and then to come home and find that the King you placed your trust in had betrayed you…that was going to be rough.

* * *

Please Review...thanks!!! 


	28. Chapter 28

Here you go...be patient with me...I know it seems off topic..but Kel needs a lot of work if she is going to do all of things she needs too...

* * *

There are times in life when it feels like all of the cosmos are crashing down. Kel knew these times intimately and as fate would have it…this was one of those times. She'd endured a long and arduous meeting with the government officials of Icabod. She had learned nothing about the people who'd killed Lillith, who she had only known a short time, but was considered a dear friend of her heart. How had things gone so wrong? How had she ended up fighting someone else's war? Was this was the Hag had needed changed in Carthak or was the more to be done after she'd finished here?

She sat in the dark of her temporary home…waiting. Waiting…for what…she didn't know…but still she sat in silence with the burden of thousands like a mantle across her shoulders. A sudden and depressing thought broke through her confusion.

'_What if I die here? I'll never see my family again, or Neal, or Yuki…or Dom._'

The thought forced all of the air from her lungs. She needed to get out. Throwing the light blanket from her body, she ran from the Inn where she was staying in the city. She ran until she could run no further, until she was deep in the bowls of the rock. She found herself at the edge of the lake watching the vendors set up their wares and prepare for the day. She had observed them in their silent dance for about thirty minuets when a small cart rumbled by blocking her view and drawing her attention. A little boy drove the cart and two small girls sat in the back. They moved carefully toward a small empty space at the end of the shops, and began to unload a large vendor's stand. They struggled, barely managing to get it from the back of the wagon, let alone set it up. Kel stood and walked over toward them. In the most sincere tone she had ever managed, she spoke.

"Friends, may I be of any assistance this great day?" She tried to say it with out making it seem like she was asking out of pity.

"We're not friends. We don't even know you!" it was little boy who spoke first. Kel nodded and smiled.

"My name is Kel and I am new to the city. I just moved here. I was looking at everything and I realized that I knew nothing of being a goods vendor. Everyone else turned me down, when I asked if I could help, I just hoped that you might let me learn from you." They all looked contemplative before one of the girl spoke.

"You look like you could eat us for breakfast…" her voice was very little and soft, like the wind through the trees. Her comment made Kel laugh heartily and reminded her a time before the war had started. They all looked at her sharply as if expecting some other reaction on her part, when she did nothing but laugh, they too smiled.

Soon Kel found herself the subject of a frenzy of activity. The girls showed her all of the vegetables they grew in their garden at home, and the boy showed her the tools that his father had made for them to sell. They spoke little of their father and when they did their eyes filled with sadness…making Kel wonder what had happened. She learned their names, and how to sell things, and trade, and soon the day faded into the magic induced night. So went everyday. She would attend her duties with the government officials, which mostly consisted of attempting to prove that she was being honest, she would see Zoser for a few hours every day to train and then she was off to the stand with the children. It went like this for almost a month before a change occurred. It was one night was they were packing up the stand, Adrianna, interrupted their normally silent routine.

"Would you like to come and see our house? Don't worry Mom won't be home so you won't get in trouble." The girl added the last part hastily. Kel smiled tightly and nodded. They all smiled and she sat with them in the back of the cart as, Theo, drove them home.

It was the girl's last statement that haunted her. '_Don't worry mom won't be home so you won't get in trouble.' _Why would she feel the need to add that? She laughed with girls halfheartedly until the littlest, Bethany, the one who had said that Kel was big enough to eat them for breakfast, shift closer to her and placed her grubby hands on either side of her face.

"You're empty here." Her fingers touched Kel's eyelids. Kel didn't know how to respond, but Bethany continued to speak. "I know that you are sad for us, but as long as I have my sister and my brother I am happy. We'll stay with you and make you happy." She nodded resolutely. Kel spoke now.

"What about you mother?" Kel voice was gentle as she looked at each of the children.

"Momma doesn't want us, so we can stay with you." There was a hint of pleading in her tone but otherwise she sounded cheery.

"If you don't mind…" Her voice barely reached Kel, but Bethany responded instantly. Her hands came away from Kel's face and she drew back to assess her.

Kel smiled at them.

"Of course you can. I want to speak to your mother, but after that I would love for you to stay with me. My Mom and Dad will love you, and so will all of my friends." There was a painful hope in their eyes, so Kel opened her arms and embraced them in a hug.

When she had released the girls she climbed up to sit with Theo as he drove. Theo was the oldest and the only boy so he had taken the responsibility for his sisters. He needed to feel like this was his decision too.

"Theo…I…." Kel started to say something but was interrupted by him.

"You do need our help more than mom. You didn't even know how to sell stuff when we meet you, how will you support yourself if you don't have our help." Theo sounded serious but there was a tinge of true joy in his voice. Looked ahead of them, they were headed into the business district, confused she stated as much, but Theo simply nodded and drove the cart steadily. With a deep sigh she looked at the boy and then back at the girls.

'_More strays…Neal is going to love this.' _She thought with a sad smile. Kel slid into the back and gathered the girls close to her.

"If your going to stay with me there is something you need to know." The girls looked at her with rapt attention; she could see Theo glancing back at her every so often as he drove.

"My name is Kel, but my full name is Keladry. I am a knight. Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. I came here to escape a mean man who made me his slave, and I came to this city because some bad men killed my good friend, and I was told that people in this city could help me." Adrianna looked excited, but Bethany looked confused.

"Who killed your friend?" Kel turned to look directly at her.

"I don't know who they are. They were dressed as Mithran priests. My friend saved a little boy from them, but she died while she was doing it..." Kel trailed off as the girls eyes filled with sadness. Bethany explained.

"Our Dad was killed by those same people. They call themselves the Red Dawn. They don't like people who aren't rich or powerful like them. They killed our Dad because he was a farmer, and he spoke to people about equality and being treated fairly by those who thought themselves about of us. My Mom moved us here, so that we'd be safe, but she was so sad when our Dad died that she stopped loving us. We wanted to know what had happened, so we asked everyone we meet, about who these people were and why they had killed Dad. They are bad people, Kel, you can fight…you can stop them…we'll help you!"

Kel felt the gloom of Lilith's death lift from her heart. She had just found new friends and she finally knew who her enemy was.

* * *

Fixed...thanks!!! 


	29. Chapter 29

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

* * *

It seemed to Dom that he drifted in and out of consciousness for most of the night before the dream that had been nagging at him finally took hold. It was a dream like the one so many months ago, the dream where he had seen Kel. He searched for her frantically, but the vast room was without life, other than him. He wanted to sit and wait for her but the floor was too cold. The cold seeped through his night slippers and into the very bones of his legs sending shivers across his body. His voice called out into the darkness.

"Hello…" It echoed endlessly outward into the black nothing of the space. He tried again.

"Hello…" The same response as last time; his own voice calling back to him. The last dream had started the same as this one. That feeling that it wasn't really a dream though he knew he was dreaming, but this time it had taken on a vastly different progression. Dom had spent his entire adolescent life with people, with women, and ladies, and family…but never alone. After all who was he if there was no one there to laugh at his jokes and keep him company? He, to his knowledge, had never done anything worth while in his life. It was during this time of deep and distracting self dissection that the dream room shifted. When Dom looked up he was in an entirely different place. In front of him a scene played out.

It was a short and heartbreaking story. Kel sat at the table across from Kali, crying. Dom for all his years of loving her from the distance had never seen her cry. Yet, here she wept unabashedly.

"…_He saw me in my dance outfit when I came home last night, he didn't recognize me. Like, suddenly because I was a girl, he couldn't tell that it was me, and now I'm going patrol with him." _Kali's hand rubbed across Kel's shoulders soothingly, and Kel's face was covered by her hands but he could hear her sobs and they tore at him. He looked away for a moment, but when he looked back the space had shifted.

It was night and the forest was dark around him. In a break in the trees in front of him a figure stood hip deep in the river. Crying out to the Gods…

"_I'm done. I want more from my life. I want to help people. That's why I became a knight. Not, so I could stay at the palace or worry about love. I want to be a stone."_

Kel slammed her fists angrily into the water. He could see her clearly. By the light of the moon her bronze skin was alabaster and her short plain brown hair was streaked with gold and ruby, like the crown of an ancient warrior queen. The shadows of the night silhouetted the muscles of her body and the water caressed her skin like a lover.

"_Why?"_ she screamed, but her voice was different this time, laced with defeat. He moved toward her, his hands grasping at air as he tried to comfort her, but the scene shifted.

Again he was in the forest. This time it was day, but he knew the people who played this scene and where he was as soon as the altering ceased. He was in Scanra again this time with the slavers.

"_I won't kill you, bitch, but when I'm through with you no one will ever want you. You'll be a hideous freak." _Dom's eyes were locked on Kel's as her head was shaved. He could see none of her pain reflected in those hazel pools only the knowledge of what was to come…and the fear that Trevon was right…that no one would want her.

The images faded and Dom was again left in the icy black nothing of the dream room.

This time when he called out his voice did not echo.

"Hello…" The stillness and silence rolled on…

Frustrated he called again.

"HELLO…" A voice called back angrily this time.

"Don't get your knickers in a bundle, boy, I'm busy God, I have much to do." From the black stepped a young woman with all black eyes and skin so white she was nearly see through. He clothes were of the purest white he had ever seen and floated about her like smoke.

"I've come to deliver a gift to you. From an old friend…one who wishes to see your heart mended." She held out a larger leather flask. Dom took it…confused.

"It contains the water of the sight. It will tell you what you want to know, it will show you what you want to see…but it comes with a price. If you over use it, It will suck the very life from you." She turned and faded back into the nothing, her ominous stipulation hanging in the air. He opened his mouth to call out again, but another voice stopped him.

"Please don't, My head hurts quiet enough from your yelling." Dom turned to see a pale half visible man standing behind him.

"Who are you?" Dom's voice was soft and respectful; he knew he was in the presence of a God.

"I am Ganiel, the Dream king." He moved closer, floating more then walking, and when he was a few feet away from Dom he stopped and motioned to the room around them.

"This is what they call vox humana, which means the human voice, in the old tongue. This room allows me to see everything that has happened in dreams and is happening. The things you saw…they are Keladry's dreams. She fears the road to come and she fears the things she has done. I brought you here so that for a moment you might share with her, be with her… if you will, but I see that you are not quite ready. You still fear for her, you must trust. The greatest gift that you can give her now is your unconditional support. When you are ready I will call you back…until then…guard her back." Ganiel faded into the mist as Dom's body shot into waking.

Neal towered over him, his eyes filled with concern. Dom grasped his cousin's shirt in his hands he panted out his question.

"Do you fear for Kel?"

Neal paused.

"This really isn't the ti…." Dom's deep menacing growl cut him off.

"No. I know that Kel will be okay. I trust her and I believe that if this is what she needs to do then she will do it. Why?" Neal's voice never wavered. Dom dropped Neal's shirt and looked away.

"How do I learn to trust her so completely?" His voice was lost and filled with hopelessness.

Neal sat down in a chair across the room and began to tell all of the stories he could think of that Dom hadn't heard about Kel.

* * *

PLEASE...I BEG OF YOU REVIEW!!!


	30. Chapter 30

Here...I hope you enjoy this...

* * *

Kel drifted in and out of dreams that night. She dreamed of the past and of all things she planned to do with her life, but somewhere during the early hours of the morning her dreams took a dark turn.

_The smell of death filled her nose. She opened her eyes, she was in Tortall, on a battlefield, with the forces of the Own going against a dark and faceless hoard of warriors. Many dead littered the field. Kel blinked and found herself on the front line. Beside her stood Raoul and Dom. She looked down…she was clad in armor with her sword naked in her hand. She felt exhaustion and adrenaline pumping through her body. She knew that the battle had raged for three days and the Own had suffered heavy losses. Hidden in the back of her mind was the knowledge that they would not leave this place alive._

_Dom reached out and gripped her hand tightly in his. They had decided to keep their relationship a secret but he needed the comfort as much as she did. He didn't turn to look at her; his restless blue eyes were fixed on the shapeless mass that was their enemy. Raoul made a chopping motion with one hand and loosed a volley of arrows. They hit the black forms of the other army…if any died they didn't see them fall. Again, the volley rose into the air and again their aim was true, and again no person…no thing fell. Dom's hand squeezed harder then released hers and he drew his sword. It glimmed in the sun as the hoard advanced on them. Kel desperately missed the warmth of his hand but didn't reach out to touch him._

_Soon the enemy was upon them. The Own fought valiantly, but these nightmare beasts were hard to kill. The earth was littered with bodies and no sword was left unwashed by the blood bath. For Kel it seemed that the battle was moving too quickly. The figures around her were blurred. No one attacked her, no one touched her…she floated through the death and violence unscathed. She blinked. The battle was over. She stood alone…the last standing on the great killing field. Her armor was coated thickly in blood and her sword had gone missing. Her lungs burned of air, but her heart ached for Dom. Where was he? Surely he had lived. Her eyes were frantic…where was he hiding? She paused for a moment, her hair whipping behind her trying to catch up with her frantic movements. Everything seemed suspended in time as she caught site of him. He was slummed over, his eyes wide and locked on her. He was barely breathing, she noticed as she knelt beside him. She pulled his head into her lap, he smiled weakly at her._

"…_Kel…" His voice was barely audible over the crowing of the ravens. She placed a finger over his lips. With gentle movements she cut away what remained of his tunic and displaced his mail so that his wound was visible. There in the center of his chest and thrust had caught him and laid him low. The blood coated her shaking fingers, she pressed the rags of cloth into the wound._

"_Shh...Dom. Save all the strength that you have. Neal will make you all better then you can say anything you want. You just need to stay awake until he gets here." A tear fell from her eyes and landed on his cheek. His pale bloody hand brushed another from her face…she clutched the hand to her chest._

"_You'll be fine Dom." Her voice was broken and unconvincing even to her own ears. He shook his head at her and smiled._

"_Kel…so beautiful…I love you…" His voice was breathy and hollow. Blood pooled at the corner of his mouth and he coughed a little to clear his airway. She wiped his face gently._

"_I love you too…" She was shaking badly now…the reality of is death weighing on her._

"_I'm...cold…" Dom breathed. Kel tried to pull him closer to her but couldn't his body was to heavy for her to move. She huddled closer to his face. _

"…_I'll wait…f.." Dom coughed up blood and his breathing increased sharply "…for….you…for…forever…" He smiled again and exhaled slowly. His chest didn't fill with air again, but Kel didn't move. She sat with his hand still clutched to her and tears streaming down her face._

"…_no…" Her voice started out quiet, but soon she couldn't contain her pain anymore._

"_NO!!" She screamed to the heavens._

"_NO!!" A sharp pain in her back ended her cries. She looked down to see and arrow protruding from the right center of her abdomen. She moved and placed Dom's head gently on the ground with a small kiss to his still lips. She grabbed his sword and turned to face her attacker. The faceless creature paused…then drew back and loosed another arrow. This one sunk deep into her shoulder. Kel barely felt it…she was dying. The creature didn't have time to draw its bow again. Kel was on it. With a few masterful strokes of Dom's blade she had dispatched the creature back to what ever dark God called it child. She stumbled back to Dom's side. She grabbed his hand and laid down next to him. With her last breath she placed her head on his chest and she too slipped away._

Kel woke. She looked around the unlit room and shuddered in fear. She could still feel the arrows in her…feel death take her body…but the most vivid of these was the heartbreak. It echoed through her endlessly. Desperate tears ran down her cheeks unchecked and her body shook uncontrollably.

A voice, one unknown to her, called out in the darkness and resounded into the residual emptiness in her soul…

"_The future is bleak…" _

Kel wanted to call out to it…ask it how to change what she had seen, but her teeth refused to unclench themselves. With a heartbroken moan she threw herself into the thin fowl smelling Inn pillows and wept…

* * *

REVIEW!!!! 


	31. Chapter 31

The night was dark. It seemed that it was darker now, darker for their purpose. The earth groaned and pitched beneath her feet, but she paid it no mind. This night had been many months in the making. '_Too many…'_ She thought to herself, she dare not say anything… not this close to the enemy. She could feel emptiness at her back, a handful occupied the space that an army should fill … worst yet, all of these fighters were unknown her. The first day after her dream Kel had confronted the governors of Icabod. She had screamed at them that the time was short, that they need to act. The response was a slow explanation that they must plan and they must be sure of her before they could ever include her in their plans. Kel had snapped. She yelled at them and even now thinking back on it she felt a surge of anger boil up inside of her.

_**Flashback**_

"_What do you mean?" Kel's voice was low and deadly calm. The first man to speak was whiney and his high pitched nasally voice grated across Kel's mind, his words where like salt in the wounds. _

"_You are a stranger to us. We know not your path. Until the oracle can find your life thread…we cannot trust you and we cannot act." He looked as if it was the simplest thing in the world, something that she should already know._

"_I can't wait….People are dying…everyday that I stay here I can feel the wait of the future pressing down on me. I rolled the Graveyard Hag for my fate, so I can't let this alone…please….we need to act. I need to act." Her voice was a little loud and had taken on a desperate ragged edge. The man who spoke this time reminded her of Raoul in size alone, his personality and voice were nothing like those of her former knight master._

"_WE WILL NOT!" His voice was loud and each syllable was clipped and icy. Kel a crimson rage fill her soul. These fools trusted only the judgment of an oracle…they wouldn't take stock of her themselves, they hesitated when they should act, and they were costing her precious time that she should be using to warn Dom…_

"_THEN YOU WILL DIE BY YOUR OWN AROGENCE. I WILL TAKE THE BEAST MYSELF AND WHEN THEY SPEAK OF YOU AND YOU'R PEOPLE IT WILL BE ONLY AS A DISTANT MEMORY…THEY WILL CALL YOU FOOLISH AND YOU'R STONE CIVILZATION WILL BE AS FLEETING AS WORDS WRITEN ON WATER." _

_She stormed from the room…leaving only silence behind her._

_**End Flashback**_

Kel smiled slightly at the thought of that day. Zoser had met her a few hours later as she prepared the children to ascend from Icabod. He'd spoken in a soft tone of how she shouldn't… couldn't do this. She'd grasped his shoulder firmly and let her sadness roll off her…then turned and called the children to her as she moved up the stairs.

She'd been surprised at how easy the trip was…but what had surprised her most was to find Black Jack waiting at the top of the stairs for her. He'd held the reigns to two camels and behind him a small covered cart waited in the sun.

_**Flashback**_

"_Jack?" she asked gently wanting to ensure that he was real, not just the desert or her heart playing tricks on her._

"_Aye…'tis me. Figured you'd need a little help with the youngins' and with finding you some men for you daring raid." His smile was wide and his eyes were honest and filled with amusement. _

"_How did you know?" Her voice was broken…she'd been praying silently for someone to stand with her. She needed a friend at her side… someone to see her through, when she felt it all crashing down around her._

"_You think that Hag ever stopped watching you? She told me all about those fools down there…so comfortable in their stone city to really see that the world is changing around them. She also told me all about your newest charges." He turned toward the children and looked them over, his smile growing wider. "You can call me Uncle Jack. I'm a pirate and a captain." The children seemed to be entranced by him; they hadn't spoken a word since his rather unexpected arrival. _

_Before long they were on the road. The children in the wagon pulled by two sturdy looking horses and Black Jack and her on the camels. _

"_I'll be happy to have you at my back for this fight." Kel said after a while, but the dark look on his face made her reign in her camel and wait for him to say something._

"_I won't be fighting with you, Kel. I can't…The Hag says that if I fight with you, I'll die. I told her that I didn't mind dieing for the cause, but she told me that I was to die for another cause…not this one. That if I died in this fight…you would too…" His voice trailed off and gazed out into the pale moon drenched desert. Kel couldn't make a word escape her; his words had taken all of the water from her mouth making her tongue clumsy and thick. When he spoke again they had resumed their slow trudge toward the city._

"_I have found some men in the city who will take you to the temple and fight beside you. It was the best I could do. I am sorry." His voice was serious and almost too soft to hear over the soft constant sound of sand shifting._

"_I understand. Thank you for your help. Please if you wouldn't mind… watch the children for me, you know, when its time." The words hung in the air between them, the unspoken request burning up the space…__** 'Watch them if I die.' **__Jack's nod was almost unseen, but Kel saw it and embraced the silence as the moved on._

_**End Flashback**_

Barely two days had passed since then. Hard to believe as it was…She was about to end this, to pay off her debt to the Hag. The warriors that she had sent to kill the temple guard had returned…she had no choice now…it was time.

She moved forward into the gate of temple, past the bodies of the guards.

_**Thump. **_Her heart hammered away in her chest.

_**Thump.**_ Past the doors of the sun, where Mithrose was honored in murals of the sun and battle.

_**Thump. **_Into the temple itself where the priests sat in prayer.

_**Thump. **_She stopped thinking and blocked out all of the noise accept the pounding of her heart.

_**Thump. **_One tried to turn and bock her blow but her sword was sharp and her blow true, he fell dead at the toes of her boots.

_**Thump. **_Others drew weapons from their robes and joined the fray.

_**Thump.**_ There in the low light from the eternal flame of the alter they fought.

_**Thump. **_She didn't look at their faces, she'd need to, she knew her purpose and she brought death swiftly with every strike of her blade.

_**Thump.**_One face haunted her…the man who had killed Lilith.

_**Thump.**_She could see him at the corner of the temple trying to stay out of the fight.

_**Thump. **_She moved toward him, her blade gutting and slicing through anyone who stood in her way.

_**Thump. **_The red war haze filled her vision.

_**Thump. **_She saw nothing but him.

_**Thump. **_He saw her approach and his face twisted in rage.

_**Thump. **_Her heart was loud now, so loud she was sure the others could hear it.

_**Thump. **_He came toward her.

_**Thump. **_They met in a clash of swords.

_**Thump. **_Magic burned across her skin, raising welts and sores in its wake.

_**Thump. **_He lunged forward.

_**Thump. **_She dodged left and sank her sword the right side of his chest.

_**Thump. **_He looked at her in shock and lunged toward her.

_**Thump. **_His sword glinted in the low light.

_**Thump. **_His sword sheathed itself forcefully in her stomach.

_**Thump. **_He fell to the floor dead.

_**Thump. **_The sword protruded from her belly.

_**Thump. **_A macabre parting gift.

_**Thump. **_Her knees gave out.

_**Thump. **_Her lungs struggled to get air.

_**Thump. **_Every breath tore at her.

_**Thump. **_She felt darkness build on the edges of her vision.

_**Thump. **_She embraced it.

_**Thump…**_

She fell forward forcing the sword deeper into her body until the hilt rested against her and the rest lay naked, protruding from her back covered in crimson. Her cheek was resting against the stone floor, her sightless eyes where locked on the alter...

* * *

READ THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! 


	32. Chapter 32

Kel felt weightless and cold. She knew that she was moving, but it seemed that her feet didn't fit the floor. The passage was coated with moss, it was chilled and damp. She wanted to pause and look back to see what lay behind her, but something was calling her forward. She couldn't stop moving onward. It seemed that the passage was lit only by the light the she pursed. The light was pure white, unadulterated, unfiltered…it simply was. She was closer now, she could see that the light was pulsing and with each pulse it seemed to exhale a shallow breath into the tunnel. The moss beneath her shifted gently in it this light breeze, but the moss closer was unmoving for it had already assumed the position of shifting backward. Kel shook her head, what did moss have to do with where she was? Kel looked down; her long brown hair fell over on shoulder. Her body was unclothed. Kel wanted to cover herself but her body made no movement…save its continuous glide forward. There on her abdomen was a mark.

Kel's arm sifted, the muscle groaned in protest, as if they had been long used, and a pale finger extended outward and she moved her hand toward the mark. She still moved forward, though not of her own volition. Now her finger hovered dangerously close to the mark, and she paused its movement. Her mind grasped desperately for the answers, what was this mark? Where was she?

It seemed that her finger had taken on a mind of its own as well, because it moved closer to the mark until at last it rest on it. Kel's head spun in discovery. This was no mark…it was a wound. Old now, for it had stopped bleeding, but not so old that it was healed. A fuzzy image of a temple in dim light filled her mind. She shook it off and fought to stop her body's slow progression into the light.

The breeze was strong enough now that it danced in her hair, tangling it and snagging it on the wall beside her. Again, Kel focused on the wound. Her finger prodded the edges of the wound…it was deep. Fear sank into her. She sifted her hand again, this time to the back, and found in the same place another wound. The light closer now, so bright that she had to squint to move on, the breeze was of gale force now. She should have struggled, but her feet knew the way and they did not pause to wait for her body to be able, they simply continued forward.

At last she was within the light, accept it was not what she expected. She stood in a glimmering courtroom. The judge was cloaked in black. His form shrouded in mystery, but she knew him as surely as if the King sat there in judgment of her. It was the Black God. The wound at her side burned. She felt the sword slide deep and she felt death claim her…she was dead. Kel's eyes danced around the room. In row upon endless row the god's sat. Her eyes flitted over them…these were the master of the universe…they deserved respect but she could not bring herself to show any. She bowed to the Black God and then stood unflinching as the others ran their gazes over her nude form. She felt self-conscious but she refused to let it show. A heavy black coat settled over her. She turned to see Ganiel standing behind her; he smiled softly before moving back to sit with the others. The coat swallowed her body, now they had nothing to make her feel inferior. She stood, head held high as the Black God called the court to order.

"Who speaks for this mortal?" His voice reminded Kel of hot cider in the dead of winter, of the wave lapping gently at the moon lit beach, it made her want to lay down…shed the baggage of this body and float free. She moved her legs a little further apart so that she stood braced and ready…she would fight with everything she had…Death would not take her easily. The Black God called out again.

"Who speaks for this mortal?" the silence was deafening. No one even moved on their benches. The Black God opened his mouth to call again, but Kel interrupted him.

"My lord, I speak for myself." Her gaze was locked on the floor, this God could send her away to an eternity in damnation for a slip of the tongue. The Black God shifted and when Kel blinked he was in front of her. His fingers were long like the spindles on her mama's favorite chair, the skin pulled tight over the bones.

"You are fierce." His voice called to her again, dragging at her bones, but she did not give in.

"My lord, if no one will speak for me, then I will speak for myself." She tried to stay calm but she found herself afraid of this dark figure. She locked her eyes on the glimmering white tile of the floor.

"Look at me…" The command was soft but Kel had no choice but to oblige his wishes.

She raised her eyes and locked them on the dark space where is face should be. His next words floated lazily from the black of his hood.

"I will give you a choice little one. You can pass from this world and go to the place in the sun; you will spend eternity in paradise. Or, you can give one reason why you need to continue living and if it is a good one then you will be returned to life. Be warned however…you will have only one chance and you can give only one example if you fail either of these things then you will spend eternity in darkness. Always hungry, always thirsty, you will be able to see others but they will not see you or here you…you will exist forever in the world between. Choose, little one."

Kel opened her mouth to answer…but so many reasons bubbled up that she felt overwhelmed. Only one reason…

Why?

Why did she live?

To help others…was that it…No there was something more

Why?

To see justice done…No…she had a different idea of justice then some

Why?

To protect the weak…maybe…but that was part of the other two…

The question pounded into her… making her eyes water from the pain.

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for air on land. A single word slipped from her mouth…it was half formed and so soft that even she could barely hear it…

"Love…"

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	33. Chapter 33

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

P.S. I own Nothing...

* * *

The room began to spin. Some of the God's where on their feet. She could see Ezekiel among them…but no one moved to help her. The coat almost fell off her shoulders but she clutched the front closed with one hand, and closed her eyes against the spinning. She chosen wrong…she knew it…

She fell to her hands and knees and braced herself. Bile rose in the throat burning its way up to her mouth. She fought it back and clutched the coat tighter. The arm that braced her quivered under the strain. The floor shifted beneath her body. The smooth cold marble of the floor flashed back and forth between rough stone and the courtroom floor. The pain from the wound, which had previously been unfelt, seared through her drawing a cry from her lips. She moved up to her knees and brought her other hand inside the jacket to feel the cut. It was smaller and felt as if it had been stitched together. She felt a liquid in fingers and raised them to eye level to see blood coating her fingers. Soon the room faded into black…and she lost the ability to feel anything but the coat on her shoulders and the burning pain from her stomach….

Just before the courtroom had faded into the other room, which Kel had assumed would be her hell, the Black God spoke.

"Well chosen Little One. The road before you is long…but you are no cracked vessel…you will do well." His voice was the last thing she heard.

It seemed as though she had fallen asleep, because she was disoriented when she opened her eyes again. She was in the temple still. She looked down the sword was gone, but she could feel the partially healed wound burning at her side. The temple was filling with smoke; she could see nothing but bodies around her. Her head spun as she stood, but she fought down the urge to lie back down and moved toward the door. Her naked and bloody sword was clutched tightly in her hand as she moved quickly toward the gate. Her leather vest, a poor substitute for her plate armor, was starting to show the spreading stain at her side. The smoke from the fire at the unattended alter was slowly pouring from the temple, drawing a crowd, but she slipped through them easily enough and made her way toward the dock. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd stormed the temple, it seemed as though forever had come and gone. She stumbled forward, feeling the strain of so much movement on her weakening body. She stayed in the shadow until the Hag's Revenge loomed in front of her.

It seemed that they were prepping for a quick departure…were they leaving without her?

Kel gathered all of her strength and called to the watched.

"Permission to come aboard?" Her voice was ragged and hoarse. The watchman called back in a loud voice.

"We're taking no passengers miss. You'd best seek birth elsewhere." She felt desperation lend her strength.

"I am Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. This is my ship of passage, ask your captain Black Jack. I am injured and need help…so if you could please let me aboard." Her knees quivered but she locked them and prayed to whatever god's were listening that someone on board would help her. The next few moments where spent in terse silence, but she didn't have to wait an overly long for help. Jack came charging down gangplank and swept her into his arms. Kel was not a small girl, she had never been petite like her sisters, and for a moment she enjoyed being carried so easily before the black she'd been fighting consumed her.

_**Dream**_

The dark was tangible; it filled the space with its presence. She wished that she knew where she was but as with all of these strange dreams, they moved at their own pace. This dream was different from the others. It was almost real. She could feel the cold floor beneath her feet, the soft sway of fabric brushing against her ankles. She looked down, confused. She wore a long green dress embroidered with small gold flowers, she could feel the small buttons that marched themselves slowly up her spine, the back of the dress was high but the front was shockingly low, leaving Kel feeling exposed. Before she had more time to contemplate the clothes the dream room shifted. Kel found herself in the great hall at the palace. It was filled with candles and the heady colors of the mid-summer festival. The crush of bodes pressed down on her, swiftly forcing her to the less occupied edges of the room. Her eyes danced across the familiar features of her friends. Neal and Yuki were wrapped around each other lovingly dancing to their own rhythm. Owen was blushing at something a young noble women on is arm said…all of the others were in much the same positions, flirting…or eating. She didn't see the one face she truly longed to see.

Dom…where was he? She moved to ask Neal, but he and Yuki were slowly drifting away from her, as were the others. She looked around the room again, until she found him. He was standing in the far corner of the room, nursing what looked suspiciously like a tankard of ale. She moved swiftly toward him, but he didn't raise his eyes from his glass.

"Dom…" Her voice floated across the space between them like a bell ringing out in the dead of night. He raised his head to look at her.

"Kel..." He stood and grabbed her close to him. The hard planes of his body slammed into hers, forcing all of the air from her lungs. When she drew air back, she gathered a heady concoction of his scent and the smell of the flowers that decorated the hall. The sharp contrast of his masculine scent and the floral smell of the air made her dizzy. She laid her head against his chest and listened to the rapid joyous beating of his heart. His breath spilled over the exposed column of her neck and his lips grazed over her ear as he spoke.

"Gods, if this is a dream…don't let me wake up…." He placed a small kiss on the juncture of her neck and shoulder and then laid his head there. He didn't let her leave his arms, he simply held her. Kel didn't fight it…secretly she raised the same prayer…_don't let me wake up, Please Gods…_

It seemed that no time had passed at all when Kel felt a pain tear through her side. She looked down to see blood leaking through the dress and staining it, as it had done her armor…

Dom's eye widened…he watched the rapidly spreading blood, until it covered almost the entire bodice of the dress. Dom removed his tunic and pressed it to her side, forcing her to lie down as he did so. His eyes were filled with tears; hers were a mirror of his.

She raised a wobbly hand and grazed her fingers over his jaw, then across his lips.

"I thought I chose right…maybe I was wrong…" another sharp tug of pain grasped her, her body arched in retaliation and flopped almost lifelessly back to the floor.

"Kel…stay with me…" Dom's voice was broken.

"I can't I'm dead…but I love you forever…." Kel's voice faded and so did her body.

**_END DREAM_**

Kel's vision was blurry, but she clearly heard a voice call out to her.

"You not dead Kel…not yet anyway…Your wound is infected…we have to cauterize it…" She felt someone brace her arms and another set of hands grabbed her ankles…she felt some of the confusion lift…

She barely had moments to realize what was happening before the hot strip of metal was pressed against the wound on her side. Her hoarse voice split the silence in the room, she thrashed about trying to get free from the hands…was this hell? No the voice had said she was alive…but why was she in so much pain. Finally, the strip was removed…but no for long. The hands flipped her over and applied the same tender treatment to the exit wound…This time Kel didn't cry out, because the black of unconsciousness had consumed her again.

IN TORTALL

Dom shot up in bed. His bare chest was coated in sweat and his normally immaculate sandy blond hair was damp and matted to his head. His breathing was labored as he fought of the last dredges of sleep. His dream still haunted him…

Was Kel okay? Or was the dream a sign of things to come…

* * *

I have no clue what color hair Dom has...

I can't for the life of me remember and my books are on the other side of the country...


	34. Chapter 34

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

* * *

Kel felt her dream-self drift through the black of the room. She let herself glide in the pain free embrace of the cold nothing, but she didn't float undisturbed for long. A voice called out to her from the void.

"Come little fish…Come home to me…" She heard the voice in the nothing with her ears but it seemed that her body had ears of its own. Her path changed and the drifting became less pointless. The voice in the void was strong and it called to her in the same way that the Black God's voice did. Yet, this voice reminded her of waves against the shore in the dead of night, of the sea stretched out before her open and endless in its glory and possibilities. She felt the words like water running over her skin, trickling across her bones, and sliding over her soul…it touched her deeper then the audible noise.

Her feet made no sound as she moved toward the voice that called out to her.

"Come…I'm waiting for you, little fish…"

She closed her eyes to blink away her sudden exhaustion and she opened them again the room had shifted. She found herself standing on the beach. The moon was full and bright making the chilled golden sand glisten like long silver necklace dotted with bright flawless diamonds. The waves were soft and gentle; they lapped at her ankles like a mother's fingers dancing over her beloved child's face. Kel wanted to lie down in the waves and let them wash away her fear. She moved into the water a little deeper and sat down in the kind surf. The water covered her to the center of her chest and it was as warm as her mother's embrace. She was sitting in the waves when the voice called out to her again.

"Oh little fish…Why so sad?"

From the waves rose a form. Her body was covered by loose blue silk that draped from her form and flowed away from her exposed feet in to the ocean, where it faded back into the depths. Her hair was a wild green color; it was twisted and curled in every direction, in its tangled length shells, pearls, seaweed, coral, and fish danced with the tide. Kel sat silently for a moment as she watched the strange women hair float around her face like she was still underwater, her confusion was perked even more when a small red fish darted out from one section of her hair and swam swiftly about before disappearing back from wench it came. Kel locked eyes with the strange women and felt her mouth drop open. The women's eyes were as mercurial as the ocean itself and small dots swam about in them, constantly moving from one place to another in her pupils, like the tanks of fish that she had seen in Lindehall Reed's classroom back in school. The woman knelt and reached for her, Her hand was pale white like the sea as it crashed against the cliffs on the coast of Tortall, Kel watched its slow progression toward her with rapt attention. Her fingers were cold like the sea and smooth like the endless night sky, they wrapped tightly around Kel's chin. The woman dragged her upward by her chin until Kel stood on the waves along side of her. The woman's arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders and she dragged Kel close to her body. She held Kel gently before she spoke.

" Oh Little Fish, how long you've been away from home…and I must ask for you to stay gone for a little longer."

The women stepped back and looked at Kel for a time before she spoke again.

"They call me the Wave Walker. I am the Goddess of the Sea, this is my home, my kingdom."

She swung her arms wide and motioned to the endless expanse of water that consumed the space around them. She spoke again, her voice gentle and breathless like the sea wind.

"I need your help. Deep to the south, in a place where the wind does not blow and the land stretches toward the heavens. The people I call my children are being threatened by a race that are evil like this world has never known. I ask as a mother, a goddess, and a friend. As a child you spent many days playing in my kingdom, you were home in the sea…you were like a child to me. I ask for your help now, because I know that you are the only one who can help them."

The Wave Walker's eyes were sad as she grasped Kel's hand in hers and began walking away from the shore. Each of the Wave Walker's steps were long, covering hundreds of miles. Kel floated along side of her, detached from the world save for where the Wave Walker grasped. Soon an island dominated the space in front of them.

Kel observed the land in front of them. The center of the island was dominated by a single mountain whose peak touched the heavens. The entire body of the mountain was covered in city and the base was surrounded in a wall. Kel could see the beginnings of a palace at the very top of the mountain but the clouds obscured her full view. The city glimmered like a shiny coin in the sun. It blazed white in Kel's sight, almost glowing like the ocean in the day. It was morning here; Kel could see people leaving small houses for the bustle of a lower city market. The people thrived…but something seemed off, something that Kel could not name from this distance. The water below them was a crystal blue, so pure that she could see all the way to the ocean floor. The ocean lapped gently at a golden shore. People in various stages of activity were littering the shore. Small houses mingled with them, all of the houses opened toward the sea. The Wave Walker looked on the city with sad eyes.

"This is the home of my children. They were once pure and good. They lived with me deep in the heart of the ocean. For many years I loved them and we grew together, them as my children and me in power as their goddess, but many hundreds of years ago everything changed. One of my children, a princess by all rights, fell in love with the sky. She would sit on land for hours, making herself sick in the process, just so she could gaze lovingly at it. I was forgiving at first, trying to coax her back to me with gifts and charms, but she resisted. Soon other followed her example and instead of frolicking with my other children or coming to be with me they would stare all day at the sky. I grew angry and jealous. I tried to warn them that if they did not change their ways the end result would be disastrous but they would not listen. Then the final blow to my power, they built an idol to the sky. I tried to explain that I was also the Goddess of the Storm; that I controlled the sky in part…but it seemed that they had no more love left for me. I grew angry and bitter, I regret those days even now…but I cannot change it. In a fit of rage I threw the Princess and the others from the sea, I stripped them of their ability to live under water and for many years my anger did not recede, so I pummeled their ramshackle cities with powerful waves and merciless storms. One day the Princess' father called out to me…he missed his daughter so dearly that he was willing to give up his entire kingdom to have her back. My heart broke and I went to speak to the Princess, only to find that she had forgotten how to speak to me. She had forgotten her days in my kingdom. I knew that I could not disappoint the King, he is one of my chosen, so I found all of the children who were born to the exiles, and I told them all the truth of their origins and I taught them to speak the language of the sea. Those children told their children, who told their children, and so on until this civilization was built and I was again their mother Goddess… Come we have more to see and little more time."

She had not released Kel's hand, so when she began to move again, much like before Kel's dream form wafted along side of her. This time the Wave Walker had little ground to cover. One of her large strides found Kel facing another city on the other side of the island…this city had a dangerous look about it. The Wave Walker moved closer to the city and Kel found her eyes widening at the city.

Most of the city was built on the water, all held above the waves on thin wavering stilts. The stilts were new and old, just like the boards of the houses. The roofs were thatched, but some where only have done and some where covered by only a few palm branches. The homes and businesses where lashed together by molding rotting rope and accessible by wide plank walk ways or sagging ragged looking rope and wood bridges. The water beneith their hovels was thick with human and animal water, and littered with various unidentifiable masses. The buildings that covered the shore was made of hastily thrown together stone and wood, it was chunky and looked like a maze crawling with rats and death. The heavy gray fog that blanketed the town was so thick with dust that it coated the lungs upon first inhalation. In a small house directly in front of her a women held a knife at the throat of the man beneath her. Her corset was unlaced and hanging like a dead animal from her shoulders, leaving her breasts loose and exposed. The man squired about, but the women didn't move the blade, she demanded something from the man. He motioned to his pocket. She removed several bills from his pants them forcible removed him from her house. Kel shook her head to clear the cobwebs of confusion. Back in Tortall, she met several Flower sellers, or prostitutes…but they were some of the kindest, funniest people she'd ever met…nothing like this scrappy, abused tramp. Kel could see others like the women from the house lining the streets, posing in doorways. Their clothes were tattered and filthy, each carried a weapon held on to her body by a brightly colored cord, and each bore the marks of a man's aggression. Others filled the space with them: drunks, thieves, men in full armor, men with no clothes on at all, a man whipping another man; a man slitting the throat of a whore…the city was filled with death, disease, and debauchery. Kel looked at the Wave Walker in confusion.

"Are these your children too?" Kel's dream voice was soft like the rain in early spring.

"No…these are the children of the greater gods. They worship the God or Goddess with the most power, the one who suits them best at the time, or if the whim takes them…no Gods at all. They are a parasitic race who call themselves the Murcel. The move from place to place building these 'cities' and then leave. The settlers they leave behind colonize the land and make it their own. Destroying the people who lived their first. The leader of their race is here on this island. She is a crusty old warrior who prides herself on her ability to kill, but she lusts for power more than anything else. She has discovered the secret of this place."

At Kel's raised eyebrow the Wave Walker sighed and continued her story.

"When I began teaching the children of this land the language of the sea…I left them special gifts. To one I gave a simple blue cord which can for a time bind the fury of a storm. To one I gave a bolt of canvas. A small piece of this canvas is able to call forth and harness the wind, until safe harbor is found. To one I gave a lantern which can call ships home, if they are lost at sea. To one I gave a conch shell, which can call down the fury of the ocean upon their enemies. To one I gave a map that lead to the entire world. To one I gave a necklace which allows the wearer to breath under water…and to the last…the Princesses son I gave the greatest gift. A coin…a coin on a necklace that can give the wearer immortality in battle. They have come for my gifts…and I fear that if they gain these tools…the world will fall to them."

The Wave Walker turned her mercurial eyes on Kel...

"That is why I need your help Little Fish...to save my children...and this world..."

* * *

CLIFFY!! (; 

P.S. I OWN NOTHING!!!!


	35. Chapter 35

Short but important chapter...

* * *

The dream was thick and heavy around him. He swam in the deep ocean where there were no waves and no shore to obscure his view. The ocean was endless as it consumed all the space between him and forever, greater than even the sky. His long black locks were alive with movement as they rested atop the water, he could feel the cold ripples of the current dancing across his bare skin. He breathed deep and the moist sea air filled his lungs. As the water filled his senses…he could hear the endless blue singing to him.

It has a heady song…that filled him with light and joy. The deep anger and hatred that he had harbored all his life, drifted away from him…pulled from his body by the gentle caress of the water.

The song called to his soul, the one he had buried deep in to scared chest to keep it from his mother's grasp, it stirred to life from where it was tucked away next to his frozen heart.

"My son…My little child…Come home to me…" The voice was gentle…but fear drove him to fight the call…no tender tongue had ever called him son. He closed his eyes and tried to kill the stirring in his soul, but the voice cut straight through him.

"My son…My joy…" The voice called to him again…it was the sound of waves, and storms, and warm water brushing across him. The voice lured him near…calling out across the expanse. Soon he found himself drifting with the current toward the voice.

"Come…Come Home…" The voice was close now…A woman stood above the sea…her body shapeless and transparent like sea foam or the water to the far south of the island…where it was lighter than flawless diamonds. He could see her eyes clearly…mercurial shifting globes of light.

"Ah…My Child." Her voice was a sigh

"I've come to help you, My Son." Her transparent hand extended toward him and within it the stars of the night were reflected.

"I have seen the cruelty wrought on my Children. I have seen your mother cut them down. She is like the heavy club of the Northern Fisherman, who take from me the Children that I have spawned. She destroys them as life is fresh within them…I weep for my loss. Your mother is a cruel woman, she looks only to herself…but we can change that. I know where your loyalty lies…what breeds in your heart…such deep hated will slowly destroy you…it is a sickness. I can give you a way to cut the illness from you body…to stop the advancing infection before it kills you." She paused and ran her fingers of warm water across his cheek and he felt her love pour into the holes deep in his soul.

"I have called a warrior to us. She will shake the very foundation of this earth…but for now she will be but a catalyst for my sons and daughters. If you choose my path…my way of life…to turn away from your gods and join me…I will give you a home. I will give you domain of my island and I will make you king over my children….but the price you must pay is steep. It is a blood price."

The woman's eyes turned hard and gray like the sea in the eye of the storm.

"Your mother must die…"

The words echoed endlessly as the dream began to fade.

* * *

Tomas sat straight up in bed…his body was damp with sweat, but his breathing steady like the drums of war.

He could hear the desperate cries of his mother prisoners drifting up from the dungeon below him. He had spent many years in that very dungeon for questioning her, though he was her only child…she refused to love him and she made it clear that she would treat him no better than she treated her slaves.

His fingers raked through his thick midnight colored hair as he weighed his options. His mother was a fierce woman who ruled her people with an iron fist. She would not listen when her people wept for a home or see when the corruption of the war-camp became their way of life. She wanted more…More power…More Wealth…MORE.

He knew what he must do…

Now he just had to wait for this warrior to come…

* * *

Kel drifted in and out of consciousness. The infection in her side stole all of her strength leaving her a helpless lump of disease as the ship pitched and rolled on the stormy seas. She knew that they were far of course…but unlike the others she knew they would not die…She made a deal with the Wave Walker…now she had no choice but to comply. Even when she closed her eyes she could see the peaks of the island rising from the turquoise sea and in her heart she knew where the wind was blowing their helpless vessel.

Straight into the path of destiny…

* * *

I love reviews...would you leave me one?... 


	36. Chapter 36

The wind was calm that night and the Hag's revenge drifted with no real purpose or destination, or so it would seem to the unaware observer. However down below the deck…still wracked with fever dreams Kel was aware of the pull of the current as it towed the ship safely toward it's new home. She could hear the board of the hull creaking and groaning under the stress of the swift unseen current…feel them crying out for relief from the strain…but the current was un yielding. With this symphony singing in her head and echoing through her heart she dreamed…this dream was much like the others…

_The Wave walker waited for her when her dream self rose…and Kel…without a thought or word to the contrary followed obediently. The Wave walker took her to the island, though this time the distance was greatly reduced, it still took one of her great steps to cover the distance. Kel saw that another person waited for them on the shore. The Wave Walker seemed to know him…but Kel did not. He was easy on the eyes but she could see the clear outline of muscles underneath his heavy sleeping clothes. He was warrior…it was clear by the way he stood and the cautious look that he was giving her. He bowed deeply to the Wave Walker and shifted his turquoise gaze on her. _

"_Who are you?" His words held a hint of a long forgotten homeland…one that had disappeared under layers of other cultures. Kel opened her mouth to speak but was cut off, before she could start, by the Wave Walker._

"_This is the warrior I promised you. She will bring your mother to her knees…if you agree, my son…" The Wave Walker placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and drew him closer to herself and Kel. He looked over Kel shrewdly before he nodded and bowed his head slightly to her._

" _I am honored by your offer my kind Goddess…I will do whatever I must to save my people." The Wave Walker smiled and nodded happily at him. Then she turned to look at Kel, his gazed followed._

"_Keladry, this is where the next step in your destiny lives. I will do what I can…but you must take steps to ensure that you are strong and able to complete the task before you." She reached out and tapped the center of her chest with two fingers and Kel felt a heavy weight tighten around her neck._

_When she looked she saw nothing…but she could still feel it, she wanted to ask what it meant but she felt her real body tugging her back home. She locked eyes with the man and sketched his face on her memory…she knew that she would need to know him before this journey was done._

_And she faded from the dream…_

Kel opened her eyes to a flash of light in the room…before she was fully aware of herself…she became aware of another presence in the room.

She looked around and found herself face to face with the Graveyard Hag herself.

"Well done dearie…I have a gift for you…"

She extended her hand and a pair of dice dropped into her lap. Kel looked at them and then at her…but the Hag had faded leaving nothing but the dice and her echoing cackle in the room.


	37. Chapter 37

Thanks for you patience I've been out of town for a while...I hope this makes up for some of it...

* * *

The Dice fell from Kel's lap as she sat up and landed with a thunk on the floor. The groaning of the ship had stopped, but she could hear the thwack snap of canvas unfurling above her. Her head spun for a moment but quickly righted itself and Kel found herself reaching for the dice. They were heavy and unyielding in her hand…Kel's lips curled up in a smirk; they were the Hag's weighted dice. Kel moved her legs toward the edge of the bed and felt something pull at her side. Gently she hooked her fingers in the edge of her linen shirt and dragged it upward. Her eyes were drawn to the heavy red scar that marred her skin. 

The wound itself was healed but angry red and sore, even the movement of pulling up her shirt to expose it was painful. Two of the fingers on Kel's hand, which still clutched the dice, came up and her fingers gently touched the thick roped scar. Her breath was coming in ragged pants as her head filled with the image of the Gods gathered around her and the memory of what it felt like to die rushed through her. She dragged her legs over the edge of the bed and let her shirt drop back into place. Her feet were bare against the dry hardwood of the floor and she sat there for a moment silently celebrating that small connection to the real world.

_**With Dom**_

Dom felt the sun warm his skin but it didn't ease the icy ache that gripped his heart. It had been almost six months since the last time that he saw her and it was slowly killing him. Roaul knew what ailed him and did his best to help…but it seemed that nothing could ease the ache that had consumed him. Dom surveyed the scene before him with grotesque fascination. Jonathan sat in his throne, though Thyat's throne was noticeably empty, as his herald read the new decree to a mass of assembled citizens in the courtyard below him.

"By Royal order of his Majesty King Jonathan of Tortall it is here by decreed: If soldiers do not report back to there commanding officer after completion of a mission or task, within a given time of two months, they will be stripped of title and rank. All citizens who have sword before the Gods that they are loyal to this nation and to it's King and people are required to report back to the palace once every nine months, to ensure their continued loyalty. All who fail to meet this decree will be faced with public flogging and will be stripped of rank and title. This is to be the law forthwith and as it is the word of His Royal Majesty King Jonathan it is unquestionable."

The wind danced through the milling crowd and ruffled the thick piece of parchment clutched tightly in the sweaty trembling hands of the herald. The wind didn't even touch the King making him look even more in control of the situation…as if even the wind couldn't shake his calm. Dom shook his head and focused back on the task at hand. Guarding the courtyard and preventing any stirrings of rebellion, because it seemed that everyone knew that basis for this law was their beloved Protector. _Rebellion…_the word was so sweet attached to Kel…it brought light to the dark night of the last few months.

Many stories were being circulated through out the city of the great deeds of the absent protector of the small. Some said that she had single handedly over thrown the oppressive King Maggur to save the children of Tortall from going to war, one claimed that she was sailing deep into the heart of uncharted lands to bring back riches and gifts for the people of Tortall, still others told that she had been forced in to exile by King Jonathan and was now traveling from place to place helping those in need. It seemed that in her absence Kel had become a legend. Children would run down the streets pretending to be the Lioness and the Protector slaying dragons and righting all the wrongs in the world, when times were tough in the lower city mothers could be heard telling their children that when the time was right Lady Kel the Protector would come and right all of the wrongs.

It was as if the God's had heard their prayers for a hero and they had delivered Kel…and they in so great a need for one had taken her in without question. His favorite thing to do on nights when the walls were watched by others was to sneak into the city and listen to the bards tell their tales of the Protector…who road a temperamental beast of questionable origin, traveled with animals of all shapes and sizes, and entranced men with a gentle swing of her hips…and was as deadly as the lioness with the heart of the Great Mother herself.

He let his eyes drifted closed for a moment and let his mind build the picture of Kel as he last saw her. Her head was shaved and her body was overly skinny and covered in deep bruising. Her clothing was ragged and dull…but there was a fierce strength in her eyes…one that was unbroken by everything. It was how he wanted to remember her forever...because it reminded him that strength was not circumstantial…

When his eyes came open again the sun caught them and he felt the image burn onto his mind…but more importantly onto his heart.

_**With Kel**_

A Heavily sarcastic laugh brough Black Jack down to greet her…his eyes lit upon with a hardy grin.

"See you've decided to rejoin us, thought you were a goner there for a few minuets…" His voice trailed off when he saw that the smile on her face drained away.

"I was dead Jack, I have died and I have come back…I was gone…" Her voice broke a little at the end…

"I know death now…and I know that he waits for me…when the time comes he'll bring me home…" She shuddered and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. A shiver raced across his skin despite the choking humidity of the air.

"I didn't know Kel…" His voice was soft and wafted gently through the space.

"It's okay…" They locked eyes, "I need to know that you will help me…stand beside me…because soon the journey will be fully underway and I could use a friend at my back." She didn't look away as she waited for him to answer…but she didn't have to wait long.

"Then a friend you shall have…My Lady Protector…" He reached his hand out toward her.

""Good…" She grasped his wrist and he clutched her…a sign of mutual agreement and friendship. When at last he pulled away he hesitated for a moment before he spoke.

"We are about a day out from a distant island that I have never seen before…perhaps you could explain that to me…when we weighed anchor two days ago." His voice was lacked with teasing good humor.

"Ah…My good Captain…never question fate…" She smiled back and let loose the first real laugh since she'd landed entered the temple of Mithros back in Carthak.

* * *

The end (for now...) Please Review...they are like my life support...(: 


	38. Chapter 38

Time stood still for them. The day drifted by lazily as the island in the distance grew bigger and bigger. Kel felt as though the Wave Walker was giving her time to prepare herself for the days ahead…so Kel did just that. She spent time looking out over the untouched sea, she meditated, practice with her sword, and began stretching out her sore unused muscles so that she would be ready to fight if it came to that. She could feel Black Jack's eyes following her every move, but she let that knowledge roll off of her like water from stone and focus on the path in front of her. It wasn't until much later that night that when she had taken a still moment to herself on the dark upper deck that Black Jack found her.

"Earlier you said that I should never question fate…this whole thing has been planed hasn't it? Not just my involvement but the events of the last couple of months?" He looked up at the brilliant velvet sky as he spoke, but Kel could hear the trouble in his voice.

"I haven't done anything of my own power since I was taken from my camp back in Tortall. You see…I have been given a path to walk. I could have walked away, turned a blind eye but I feel the oppression and pain of these people as clearly as if it were happening to me. Some people are Gods blessed with the ability to turn a blind eye…but I have never been so fortunate. I figure that fundamentally we are all then same. No matter what the circumstance of our birth all…we all want the same thing…justice, a long life, peace, happiness…I can't look away when those things are needlessly taken away…" She stopped speaking when Jack stood. He paused for a moment and Kel could see the anger written on his face…before he turned and walked away from her. She wanted to follow him, but she knew that he needed time on his own. It had been there in his hand in hand with anger…that deep knowledge that something within him needed to change. Kel tilted her head back and took in the endless sky and for a moment her situation didn't seem dire, it didn't seem impossible…it felt small compared to the never ending heavens. Her eyes grew heavy and her body filled with lead…sleep over came her and in that moment she was no ones vassal, no one's champion, no one's hero…just a girl…

The Morning broke the darkness of night swiftly. There were no lingering moments of gray as night and day blended. It was as if the world suddenly shifted and at shift carried the world from Midnight to Noon in a matter of moments. Kel found herself warm to her very bones by the rising sun. Her neck was stiff and her back ached. Her eyes protested the light the flooded them and closed again. When she found the strength to open them again two things became abundantly clear. She'd spent the night on the deck and Jack was sitting next to her with something on his mind. Kel's mouth was dry and her lips were chapped from the salt air…but she didn't speak or move not wanting Jack to change his mind about talking to her. Her patience was rewarded when Jack spoke a moment later.

"I have spent my entire life wanting to be something I'm not." He ripped his eyes away from the island that now loomed in front of them to lock with Kel's but it was fleeting, soon his eyes were scanning the land again. "I was born poor. The son of drunken blacksmith, my Mother died when I was young. My Brother…my brother…he was always lost in the clouds…he never understood how poor we were. When my Father died…when my father was killed by a noble man that he owed money to for a commissioned work…I was left to take care of my brother. I worked as a stable boy, a kitchen boy, and a chimney sweep…every damn job I could find. Until, I moved here. No one knew my father or my background. No one cared that my brother was strange. So I lied. I lied my way into the academy. I lied my way into a position in a fleet of ships. I never once regretted casting of my mother or my father…or casting my brother off on the temple…Until last night. You care… You care what happens to people. You look at the world and see it the way it should be not the way it is. Strange how too people can walk through live and for a brief moment they share an ideal and both walked away changed. I realized last night how long I've spent with my eyes closed. How long I've spent not caring about people other then me and those I deem worthy. That's why I've decided to retire from my life of piracy and join your adventure. I know that things will be rough, but I need to know that what I'm doing is right."

Kel opened her mouth to speak, but the words were drown out by the sounds of the fast approaching harbor…so she gently placed her hand over his and squeezed. He seemed to understand. He nodded once in her direction and left her alone, to prepare for what was coming. In front of them lay the City of the Wave Walkers Children. She felt a slight tightening around her neck, she raised her fingers her neck and felt a heavy leather collar embossed with swirls and what seemed to be waves. She drew her hand back puzzled, but the question was soon answered.

"It is a gift…from me and a couple other God's. It is a symbol of my beloved. It will help the Queen's son know who you are…and it will open a few doors…it is all I can do." Kel turned to see the Wave Walker in all her glory. Her eyes were trained on the City though she spoke softly to Kel. Kel glanced over her shoulder to see regard the City again. When she turned back the Wave Walker was gone, all that remained was the heavy leather choker. She was puzzled for a moment, but was knocked from her stupor when the boat bumped against the dock. Her thoughts were ruined by the noise of wood grinding on wood…they had arrived. The mantle of what was to come weighed down her shoulders.

* * *

Please Review...I love them reviews!! (: 


	39. Chapter 39

Her feet fell heavy against the worn wood of the dock. She could hear the hustle and bustle of the city growing louder as she advanced. The smell of brine was heavy and mingled with the strong scent of citrus trees and the fish markets. The lower city was clean compared to other cities she'd ever been to, but Kel could see the edges beginning to fray on this picture perfect place. Jack disembarked behind her along with several others from the crew. They were all dressed carefully to avoid attracting attention…but it seemed impossible. They were strangers in a land long torn by war and thus were instantly suspect. Despite this they moved through the lower city with ease.

The main street was wide enough to hold vendors and street performers as well as the flow of people ebbing in and out of the docks. The streets were rough under the soles of her boots and she could see small rivets of water draining from the upper city, making the road slick and dangerous in places. They climbed the steady incline toward the city with unease, looming in front of them was the upper city…and Kel knew that they would face more challenges there then just the hustle that plagued the lower city streets. When at last the reached the high wall that surrounded the upper city Kel felt her eyes grow wide.

The wall was made of cut and polished marble, what made the wall even more spectacular was the lined through out the marble were abalone vines and flowers made of cut Fire Agate. It gleamed in the sun, making everything seem dull and filthy in its presence. Even here Kel could see the signs of a long struggle. The marble was cracked in places, chipped in others…if one didn't look closely then it was unnoticeable but to Kel's eyes, which were trained to see detail, it was obvious. They started through the gate that was at the center of the wall. Kel's awe faded grew when she saw the inside of the wall. The wall was thick enough that it housed two barracks of soldiers right in the walls on either side of the gate, between the port challis and the massive oak and iron door that lead to the center courtyard. The inside of the wall was not cut marble like the inside…instead it was heavy servable Sutton Stone, which was strong and easily obtained. When they entered the upper city the wall was lined again. This time with the purple hues of abalone, the vines were fire agate and the flowers were opal.

The houses were prim and neat, they were tall with immaculately trimmed lawns and plants. The gates gleamed as brightly as the polished wall in all different metals…it was perfect…save that it was too quiet. Unlike the lower city no children played in the streets, no one was doing chores, no servants doing work, no laughter or shouting…just an eerie stillness. Cautiously they kept moving, their eyes constantly seeking the reason for the unnatural calm. Soon they had made their way through the upper city to were the Palace rested.

"Why come here?" Jack's voice was a breathy whisper.

"Because the Wave Walker told me that the Original princess' line still exists and I need the gift that the Wave Walker gave them." Jack looked confused but he trusted Kel to know what she was doing. They had reached the wall of the palace which was made of pale River Stone, a porous and smooth rock that was shaped by years of erosion. It didn't gleam like the marble but the effect was much the same, it made the breath flee Kel's body. The walls climbed high, as if reaching for the sky. If the walls were reaching for the sky the towers were fingers grasping the heavens, such graceful curving structures whose life had been mapped out in pieces of pale stone. They paused out front of the gate, waiting for a guard to call to them…but no address came. The gate was firmly closed and no guards were visibly posted. Kel felt the strangeness of the situation creep over her skin like a chill. She turned to address Jack when a man's voice broken the silence.

"Are you waiting on some cosmic event in particular, Milady? Because it would take nothing short of the Gods intervention to get those pansy hearted fools to venture outside the protection of their palace." Kel glanced over Jack's shoulder to see a tall pale colored man approaching them. He was fair in skin and hair; his arms were narrow and unused to hard labor. His clothing was faded and patched but of high quality and from his hips a lyre dangled harmlessly. Jack and the others tensed at his approach but Kel, who lived by her instincts, could sense no evil in him.

"What say you gentle sir? I've come to see the Wave Walker's chosen prince. Is such a meeting a fool's errand?" The words flowed off of her tongue as though she was a born player. His face split in a grin and he bowed deeply to her.

"Alas, Fair Sun of my heart, the Wave Walker's Chosen is a weak idiot. He revels in his 'godly' blood and enjoys the power that comes with it, but he fears the future. He lets his Generals run the battles unchecked and gives his people over to their own devices in favor of a comfy seat in his big mausoleum." Kel nodded slowly. So the Prince had abandoned his people in fear of loosing his power.

"Good Sir, I pray thee temper your players tongue and tell me true. I seek the Prince of the Murcel. I have made pact with him and the Wave Walker herself to save this land, to save your people and I, being of foreign birth, need a native guide. Are you up to the task?" The man's eyes darkened for a moment and danced away from hers to land squarly on the bared gate of the palace. When his eyes found hers again his jaw was clenched tightly. He spoke carefully through gritted teeth.

"Lady Fair…you have stumbled upon the right man. I will show a true and quick way to this prince, and I pray he be true…for ours is not but a child in a grow man's clothing."

Kel smiled and extended her hand to the man.

"Call me Kel, and you are?" a smile split his face again.

"I, Sweet Kel of the Dawn…am Lyric the Player and for the moment your trusty guide." Kel laughed when he gently kissed the back of her hand. When he stood from his semi-bow Kel pulled her hand away from his and returned his smile.

"Well...Good Sir Lyric of the Wicked Tongue...lead on..."

* * *

Please review...I get lonely without them... 


	40. Chapter 40

sorry about the super long delay...writers block and a dead computer...I hope to make it up to you by having another new chapter up soon!

* * *

There is a time in each person's life when they stand at a crossroads…when all that will change sings within them like a siren song… when all that will change is laid in sharp contrast of all the things that will stay the same. King Jonathan of Tortall had reached such a point. His desert magic and his own magic where like fire rushing through his veins leaving burning trails in his blood, but the good king sat unmoving, not letting the sensation distract him from the truth slowly emerging before him. His eyes were fixed on the lower city as it burned in the dark night. The soft glow of candles lit the rooms of the lower city…the light danced in the summer breeze. How strange that this place was his home, yet…for many years now he had cut himself off from all those things which had once been dear to him. Jon remembered a time in his life when laughter, friends, kindness, and doing the right thing had been as important as loyalty, power, riches, and respect. Looking back he couldn't pin-point the exact moment it had happened but he knew that it had been to long. How had he forgotten who he was and what he stood for so easily?

Jon heard a rustling behind him and wait quietly for the intruder to make themselves known. A delicate rested on his shoulder. Jon looked up to see Thayet standing over him. He was surprised to see her here in his bedchambers…because four days ago when his decree was made law…she'd locked him from her bed and presence. He placed and hand over hers and let his eyes drift back out toward the city.

"Jon? Are you okay?" Thayet's voice was a soft as the breeze and caressed his skin in much the same manner.

"I think I've made a mistake…" His voice was softer then hers, but filled with wary conviction.

"Why do you say that?" She knew the mistake he'd made but it was important for him to know it on his own. Jonathan let out a deep sign before he spoke.

"I've forgotten who I am…" Jon paused but when Thayet opened her mouth to encourage him to continue…he started again, "When I was a young boy I ran around the palace like a hellion. I would slay dragons, rescue damsels, fight bandits; save children…I was a knight. I would get the servants to play along and before long the whole palace was part of my fantasy world. Later, when I was older I realized that I would never be that knight. I would never ride to save damsels, put out fires…or anything like that. I realized that I was bound to this place with roots so strong no sword could hack through them. I was…am…bound by my birth to this life. As a teenager going through my Knight training everything inside of me rebelled against this lineage of mine…but I knew my duty and I knew that people were depending on me. So I drew a hard line. I swore to myself that I would never back down from an honest fight or the truth, stand for those who needed a voice, destroy wicked oppression, and strive for equality. Somewhere between then and now I had forgotten that…and now I've condemned an innocent girl to death. A Woman…a woman who has committed her life to this country, who believes the same things that I do, who refuses to accept the world as it is…I've ordered the death of one of the only people I know sees eye to eye with me. Why…because my pride was pricked, because I hate people who try to be heroes…and most importantly because I wanted that adventure…I wanted what she had. Imagine that…a King wanting to trade places with a lowly Knight..." Jon's hand dropped from Thayet's and his head fell into his hands.

Thayet felt sadness grip her heart.

"Make no mistake, love…you were wrong to make that law…but I know that you can fix it. Because you are that knight, you just go about it in a different way." She lowered herself on to the small settee beside him. He didn't move and so they sat for a time in comfortable silence as the city below them flickered in the velvet night.

Not far from where the king and queen kept their silent vigil another contemplated the fate of Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. His eyes were the blue of endless summer skies, but their normal vibrancy was lost to lack of sleep and concern. His vigil was kept not in his room or in a balcony over looking the great city…instead it was kept in absolute solitude. In the center of the royal garden, where only gardeners and the most amorous of couples ventured. Tonight it was as empty as his eyes. The fountain rim where he sat was dry and crackled and the fountain had long since been shut off. His eyes were locked on the heavens and his heart was locked in deep pleading prayer.

"Gods, I know that I am no great believer. That I write it off…let it slip away from me because I am too busy or not interested, or tired…whatever excuse I make, but I swear to you now with all that I am, with everything I will be, bring her back to me and I will change my ways. I'll give up everything to see her again to know that she is safe." Dom could barely get the words past his lips for the choking tears that were building in his eyes and throat. His fervent prayer continued in much the same way until a soft whisper of a voice reached his ears.

'_Oh my son, how sad you are…how you heart cries out so hardily that your pleas echo through the realms of the Gods. You are passively seeking a future that will require deeds. Your lady love is a hero. Heroes are not meant for the home front, they are like an eagle climbing high into the heavens. Celestial bodies hovering over us, strengthening us, giving us the courage to do what is right and the knowledge of what must be done. They are ethereal, like mist in the morning…gone at the first penetrating ray of sun. You want her…you will have to fight for her. Fight to be the man she needs, the man you are to be, and the man the world needs you to be…she isn't the only one with a destiny…" _ Dom looked around him wildly trying to find the source of the voice, finally his eyes landed on a fading form shrouded in a black cloak and deep shadows. Dom opened his mouth to speak…but he felt a sudden tugging on his soul and his eyes rolled back in his head as he gave in.

When Dom opened his eyes again he was in an entirely different place. He stood in the center of a swirling black mist that creaked and groaned occasionally lending it an air of animation. His body felt soil and real but he could not seem to move from this place. He called out in a rasping voice.

"Hello…is anyone there?" Nothing happened. It seemed that the black mass that surrounded him swallowed the noise. He tried to call out again but found that he was unable to open his mouth. Instead he was forced to listen to the soft drone of familiar voices in the mass around him.

"Dom, I need to ask you a favor." It was Raoul. He was speaking to Dom, but Dom had no recollection of the conversation.

"Find Kel, Leave tonight and find her. Last we heard she'd been blown of course somewhere between Carthak and the Yamani islands. I can't find any current maps that have anything but open between them…but I did find an ancient map that may help some." Dom felt the sensation of something being handed to him…but he saw nothing. Shortly thereafter Raoul continued.

"It's supposed to be a blessed island called Isla De Mer. Numair found some information about it…he said that legend is that the island is the blessed home of the children of the Wave Walker. I don't know much else…but we think that's were she is. I've already booked passage for you. I can't send anyone else with you and I had to lie to the king about where you're going. I pray the gods grant you swift safe travel." The dark, almost dream, began to fade and Dom tried to hold on to it grasping at the feeling of the dark that was rapidly fading from his consciousness. Even as he fought to remain in the dark hoping to learn more, a new set of sensations was overwhelming him. It was the creaking of a ship, the rough words of sailors, and the heady smell of salt-water. Dom felt himself being drawn into the real world.

When he his opened he felt disoriented. The bed beneath them was hard and smell faintly of mold and sweat. He rolled over and found him fading a door set in the very center of his small wooden room. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, keeping his shoulders hunched and his chin to his chest because the ceiling was to low for him to sit up straight. His head reeled for a moment before everything came back to him. The god's had sent him on a mission to the one place he actually wanted and needed to be…Kel's side. Dom carefully edged off of the bed and slipped out the door, straightening only when he reached the deck. He hurried over to where a group of men stood clustered against the rail, looking out at something in the distance. A dark haired man at the edge of the group noticed him first.

"Good time to wake, sir…We'll reach the island today." Dom looked where the man was pointing and had to step forward and grip the railing to keep from passing out cold.

There in front of him, looming and silhouetted in thick dangerous looking clouds, stood and island Dom had never seen before…one he certain would alter his destiny…forever.

* * *

dum...dum...dumdum...

READ and SEE what happens next time (but please review!!!)


	41. Chapter 41

Here is a new chapter for you...Hope you like it...Still no computer and now I two broken fingers...so the next chapter might take a little time.

Thanks!!

* * *

Kel felt the letter slide from her finger like a physical blow. She could see the faces of the Theo and the girls lined up on the railing of the Hag's Revenge. In front of her stood Jack's most trusted sailor, his second in command, Marcos. She watched him slip the letter into the pocket inside of his jacket. A few coins crossed his path for the purchase of clothes for the children and transportation to Mindelan land…but Kel felt the separation from the letter more greatly then she should have. It was after all just a piece of paper, but it was going home…some place she knew she would have to wait sometime to see…if ever. 

The children were frightened and excited about their new voyage…but she could see more of the anticipation shinning through today. Kel understood why.

She had met with their new friend Lyric and brought him back to the ship with them. Jack and her had agreed that the children would be safer further away from this island and frankly away from Kel. So she'd hastily penned a letter to her Mother and Father telling them all about who the children were and that they needed a home until she could get home. She'd also included a plea to find Toby and bring him under their wing until she was back in Tortall, because she was afraid he would follow her if he wasn't closely watched. She wanted to tell them of her death, meeting the Great God's, her life, and her destiny…but knew instinctively that the letter would never make it home were that the contents. She had already said her goodbyes to Theo and his sisters, promising to come to get them as soon as she could and assuring them that her mother would love them to pieces. Kel waved one last time and stepped back. Jack spoke briefly to the man, Kel could see several more gold pieces cross the man's hand, but Kel held her tongue. What Black Jack did with his gold was none of her concern. Marcos saluted and swiftly walked up the gang plank onto the main deck. Kel and the others watched as the sails were unfurled and the ship rocked slowly back from the dock. When they were clear of the dock Kel turned away to face her sizably smaller entourage with a look of relieved sadness on her face.

Jack stepped forward and placed an understanding hand on her shoulder. Lyric spoke in hushed tones.

"We'd best be on our way. Your friend is well known in the waters as a pirate and I have no want to draw extra attention to us…at this time." Kel nodded and they moved quickly through the thickening crowd at the docks. When they had reached the base of the incline to the palace, the ducked into a crowded boisterous tavern hoping to loose themselves in the din, a small table in the back of the room was open and they seated themselves swiftly. Jack's lanky height made him stand out even in the crowded space and already whispers had begun about who he was and who she was. Kel felt unease and bruised from all of the eyes crawling over her skin.

"You'd think they'd never seen a pirate before." Jack's voice was low and gravely, but filled with heartfelt amusement.

"I fear you are rather a legend around here. You may have inadvertently saved this island once." Lyric's words were a calm breeze amid the hurricane of the bar. Jack looked at him cockeyed for a moment, waiting for an explanation.

"You were raiding the waters between here and Carthak, when you came upon a Man of War ship sailing away from Carthak. Legend says that you attacked at night, ordering all of the lights on your ship put out and all of the men to move silently and not speak. You snuck up on the unsuspecting ship and shattered the hull you cannons. Before they could even fire their cannons you'd downed their mast and your crew was throwing their grappling hooks on the railings. You boarded and discovered it was a raiding ship, meant to destroy our docks and isolate us. You killed the crew, ransacked the hold, and burned the vessel to the sea. We learned later that the ship was headed here, because two others arrived expecting to meet up with that one and lay siege to the city. So you're a hero…kinda'" Jack looked a little uncomfortable with his new titled and brushed it off with a slick remark about it being all in a days work, but Kel couldn't hear him, even the din faded in light of the man who'd just entered the room. He hadn't seen her yet, but Kel couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Her eyes caressed his familiar features and felt her heart swell at her view of him. _Dom…_

**_With Dom_**

The small row boat made no waves and no noise as a few of the crew rowed toward the shore. Dom glanced away from the Island back to where to boat was anchored. He could see it bobbing gently in the sways of the ocean. His small travel bag was on the floor of the boat between his boated feet. His heart was racing still not really sure how all of these things had happened…all he knew was that Kel would be somewhere on this island…he hoped. The small boat bumped gently against the dock and Dom carefully exited taking his meager belongings with him. The crew members didn't even wait to come aboard, they turned the little boat and started rowing back toward the ship with only a wave. Dom felt utterly alone for a moment, but it was washed away by the instinctual knowledge that Kel was on the island with him. He didn't know where, but a thread of her presence wrapped around his heart and comforted him.

He moved away from the docks and into the city. He needed to find out as much information about this place as he could, so he entered a small tavern to the side of the road.

The tavern smelled of stale ale and body odor. The noise, crowd, and smell disoriented him, but he continued to move into the room. He felt eyes dragging over him and glanced around trying to find the source of the penetrating stare. He raked his eyes over the room, landing for a moment on a woman sitting at a table in the back of the room before continuing onward. He came up short suddenly. His eyes whipped back to where the woman sat with an amused smirk tugging at her lips. Her hair was long and bound away from her face. Her skin was paler then he remembered like she'd suffered illness and was on the mend. Her eyes…her eyes were the same…

He took moved swiftly through the room, until he was mere inches from where she was. She stood and waited for Dom to come closer. Dom didn't hesitate he wrapped his arms tightly around her and crushed his lips to hers.

When he pulled away he was breathing heavily and so was she. He dragged his lips down from her lips, over her cheek, down the column of her neck, and bringing it to rest in the crock of her neck. He breathed in her heady scent and exhaled one word.

"Kel…"

* * *

REVIEW please!!!! 


	42. Chapter 42

The tavern spun around them and she could see the shocked expressions of her companions at the edge of her vision, but all she could truly see was him. His scent filled clouded her head and made her ache for home. Underneath the smell of travel and stale over worn clothes was the scent that she remembered. The scent of open skies, the chilled north, and mountain pine, exactly the same as the scent she'd inhaled off of his shirt so long ago in his tent…right before she'd been taken.

She was dragged backward into the past.

Into the time before all of this…

_Neal laughed as she piled the vegetables high on his plate and then set it in front of him with a firm "eat your vegetables Meathead." He was so happy it didn't even mater that she had used his dreaded nickname. He and his friends were at peace in these moments. No war, no wrongs to right, no battles to fight, no injuries…just unadulterated life. Beside him Yuki hid a slight smile and snort behind her hand. Kel smile widely at her and watched it be returned with a gentle crinkling at the corner of her eyes._

_Kel sat beside Kali on the roof of the Dancing Dove. They were both tired and sweaty from the days practice, but they had huge smiles on their faces. Kali had made a silly joke about one of their friends, probably Neal. Kel felt light and joyous. It filled her and made her feel like a feather caught in the wind soaring over all the earth on a single gust. As if in that one moment the entire world laughed and rejoiced with them, while the fireflies and crickets rounded out the symphony. _

_She could feel his eyes on her. Even though the drums where loud she could swear that she could hear him breathing, feel his body standing there at the edge of the circle…waiting…but for what. She opened her eyes and ensnared him. The dance's power still burned through her veins and she felt like a part of the blaze beside her. As if she were a lick of flame twisting and writhing, crackling with life. Beckoning the unsuspecting, come touch me…but the cool hue of Dom's eyes did more to bring her life then any flame or dance. After all love was a heady poison…_

_She heard the scratch of a sword being drawn slowly from a sheath. Strange but she knew exactly what the sound was even though sleep had yet to release her and her mind was little more than fluff and haze. It was almost instinct that called her from the blur and made her stand, drag some clothes on, and sneak back to her tent. Once Griffin was clutched in her hand she made her way toward where the sound had come from. The truth of what was happening caught up to her when she entered the woods and found herself face to face with a group of ruff looking men. The shackles hanging from their belts glimmered in the moonlight…a single word slipped past her lips. "Slavers…" She readied herself and jumped headlong into the fray._

The world came back into focus. She could feel Dom holding her again…but her mind was still adrift. It slowly showed her the way that things were different now…It showed her the gentle changes in her…

_Her hands were covered in dirt…not blood. She was on her knees in a small plot of land with a small child beside her. The girl was chattering away at her but Kel couldn't figure out what she was talking about. Still it was the moment that caught her. Who would have though, Keladry of Mindelan, Daughter of Merchants and politicians, Knight of the Realm, had never farmed a day in her life. Her shoulders ached from carrying water from the well earlier. Her back ached from bending over to inspect plants and pulling weeds. Her nails, though they had never been a court ladies, were filthy, but they were the only part of her hands that looked remotely like her own. The rest of her hands were covered in mud, sand, small leaves, and fools gold from the soil…she looked like a half formed fae creature._

_She watched as Jack played music with the crew. This was not the music she had been taught at the palace. These were bawdy songs of men and their conquests, somber songs of death, livened by jokes of people who reminded someone of the character immortalized by the song. The songs were lively, played on makeshift instruments…played with heart. Kel wanted to learn but felt hesitant…did do good-ers mingle with pirates? Did they live with them? Jack must have seen the indecision and longing in her eyes, because he set his strange round flute on the barrel beside him and lead her over. The others in the crew welcomed her warmly and made her one of their own. She learned the songs, the instruments, and the name for things, stories of life lived and loved. Her head was spinning with knowledge by the time she laid down…but she couldn't wait for her next lesson._

_Kel was bombarded by worried looks and children when she set foot on deck. Jack supported her from one side and she clutched the ships railing with the other. She supposed it made sense that she was weak after all…she had died…kind of. When the children stepped back the crew came up and gave her their inspection. After a snort of approval from someone in the back they returned to their work. One of the pirates had gathered the children back to where they had been before her sudden appearance. They were gathered around a pile of rope. They watched intently as they were showed a new knot, then they would try to repeat the deft motions of their teacher, it was comical to say the least. Kel felt the wind pluck at the loose strands of her hair and give them life of their own. They snapped and whipped in the wind, free from the quaff they danced merrily._

Dom's eyes where the first thing that came back into focus. She moved her head down until her forehead rested in the hollow of his sternum. She rested her head there for a moment and thought. The more time she spent out here in the world the more she grew. She felt like she knew who she was…warrior, woman, and hero. She felt almost…complete, almost as if she had only been barely living and it had taken all of this to make her see that. She knew that the others could hear her, but she spoke only to Dom in that moment.

"I'm glad your here…but I hope you're ready for what you've just stepped into."

He pulled her head up and ran his fingers over the crow's feet forming at the edges of her eyes. Her life was taking its toll on her, but Dom loved the small imperfection almost as much as he loved the large ones. He continued to caress her face as he spoke.

"I am not going anywhere."

* * *

Sorry for the long wait...my life has been craptastic for the last couple of months and my computer was broken... 

Please Review

Spelling mistakes fixed. Someone mentioned that Kel might be a little too younge to get crow's feet already, but she is. I have friends who are younger than me (I'm 20) who have more wrinkles then my mother does. It is just the kind of life that they have lead.


	43. Chapter 43

sorry for the wait...writer's block...and work.

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur that Kel hardly more than stumbled through. She introduced Dom to Jack and Lyric. They each told the tale of how they had come together at this point. Kel watched the reaction from Lyric and Dom as Jack and Kel told the tale of how she had died and come back. Lyric filled there ears with a flowering tale of his youth and how he had come to be a renowned poet here on the island. He was apparently rather political in his rambling and had before forced to stay in the dungeon of the palace for a short time, a story he told with a large smile on his face as if he were proud of his incrimination. Dom told them of his visit from the Black God, the law passed after Kel had left, and of the deadline on Kel's life. It brought some dark grumbles but Jack refused to let that be the focus of the night. Between him and Lyric it was no wonder that by the end of the night Kel's sides ached from laughing.

When it was well into the early hours of the morning the called it quits with a few words to the barmaid two rooms were secured. One for Dom, Jack, and Lyric and the other for herself. She has insisted that it wasn't necessary…they had insisted otherwise. So she entered the cold room by herself and the moment that her head hit the pillow she was in a dream.

She wasn't in the endless room or even in the gentle sea as in the last "dreams." She was bound to a rock at the edge of a violent sea. With every crashing blow of the waves against the rock and her legs the water climbed higher. She was confused at first, but realized that this must be a God sent dream because each blow from the waves sent a sharp and cold pain through her legs. She tugged at her bonds but as she suspected they were immovable. A sharp intake of breath made her look quickly to her right.

The man she'd met in the last dream was also bound to a rock. He was much worse of then her. His face was bruised and swollen. His lips were bleeding, his wrists were raw. She could see several other places where blood was slowly leaking from places on his body. Every time a wave crashed against the rock, he would cringe and suck in his breath as the salt water crunched his legs and entered his wounds.

Kel didn't have to wait long to understand what was happening, just as she turned back to the ocean a vision appeared. From the storm came a furious Wave Walker. Her hair was violently thrashing about; her eyes were the hazy color an angry sea. Her skin was translucent and Kel could see the barely leashed rage simmering beneath the surface.

"How dare you betray me?" Her voice lashed out like stinging rain and pelted against their still forms. Kel opened her mouth to speak.

"What have we done to you Goddess?" For a moment the full weight of the turbulent sea rested on her, breathing was difficult and her mind was little more than mush in her head.

"You want a list of your charges, Snake, then I will deliver them. Judge, jury, and executioner," She paused to motion toward the ragging ocean at her back then spoke again, " You," she pointed to the man first, "told your mother, whom I have decreed will die, of your deal. And you," she pointed to Kel, "brought your love her. He was not part of the deal. You will pay for these betrayals. If your spirits die, your bodies will be lifeless shells until they return to the earth." She started to turn away, but looked back at right before she was facing completely facing away from them.

"You each die and it will be a slow choking cold death. What's more you will as you have always feared. Him in his mothers dungeon, alone and unloved, and you, Keladry of Mindelan…you will die a traitor to your people, your charges will be outcast for knowing you, and everyone you have ever come across in your miserable excuse for a life will pay dearly for your 'crime.'" Laughing she started walking away from them. The man stayed quiet, but Kel was never one to take death lying down.

"Maybe you should talk to the Dark God about how Dom got here…after all he made the arrangements. I have done nothing to betray you and I will give our word that we will see your people free…but you must release us." The Wave Walker paused with a furious scowl on her face before she disappeared into nothing. The waves calmed for a moment leaving Kel to think that maybe she was sparing them. She turned her head back to the man.

"What's your name? You know, since where kind of stuck here together." Kel tried to smile but the situation was a little tense for a real smile.

"My name is Tomas." His voice was the same as she remembered it…

"What happened? What did the wave walker mean when she said that you were in your mother's dungeon?" Kel had to know.

"I made the deal with the Wave Walker and I told my younger sister that she only needed to wait a little while longer, that I was going to get her free. She's been in mother's dungeon since she was seven. Every time we move to a new place, she is loaded into a crate like an animal and shipped on the first war barge. Just so that my 'mother' can show she doesn't care about anyone. I shouldn't have said anything…but I wanted to give her hope. She told a fellow prisoner…who was a spy…and I was thrown in with her. I'll do what ever I have to; I want my people to have a home, to be safe. I want my sister to be able to stand in the sun and laugh like a child…I want a home." Tomas' eyes closed and she could see the faint glimmer of tears at the corners.

"Together…we can do this. You and I. We'll make things better. I promise" Kel's voice was soft and scratchy but he still heard.

"I prayed every night that the God's would divinely deliver us…I should have realized it wouldn't be so easy," a hesitant smile broke across his face, "Good thing I'm used to hard work." He and Kel laughed together. When the laughter had faded the wave walker reappeared. She was calm and looked much the same as she had the first time Kel laid eyes on her.

"I have judged you both poorly. My heart is broken for my children and leads me to question the very events that I, myself, have set into action."

Their bonds released them and Kel found herself lying in bed with several faces peering down on her.

Dom grasped her hand as he watched her slowly orient herself to her surroundings. The first words out of her mouth were cracked and dry.

"It's not proper for you all to me in here, I'm in my night clothes."

Dom felt a smile growing on his face, he kissed her hand and showed the others from the rooms that she could make herself ready. They seated themselves at the same table as before and ordered some food as they waited for their friend.

Kel hurriedly dressed and flew down the stairs, lest she find herself the cause of more concern. When she joined them they waited patiently for her to explain herself.

"Lyric. I need you to lead me to the enemy camp on the other side of the island. I have made a deal with the Wave Walker to kill their queen." She stuffed her mouth full of food to avoid answering questions, but the looks spoke for themselves. Dom was the first to speak his mind.

"Kel, what about the law in Tortall? We have to get home." Kel chewed slowly while she thought over her answer.

"I am a vassal of the people. I will pay the price for my indiscretions when the time comes, but right now. There is a greater threat coming…one that we will not be ready for unless I follow this path that is laid before me. I can't turn away and run…I refuse…and plus I wagered the Graveyard Hag for my destiny…and lost. Now…if you all are done fighting the inevitable. Maybe you could see to supplies, horses…and anything else we might need. Hmmm?"


	44. Chapter 44

Fixed..Keela the old queen is NOT blind. She has lost THE SIGHT not her sight. Thank for all you kind reviews..new chapter as soon as I can manage it!

* * *

To say that the boys were placated by her order would be to lie. Dom's rage was like nothing she had ever seen before…mostly because she never seen him this angry before, but Kel was not deterred. After a few moments of listening to Dom's rather loud complaints she calmly repeated her earlier request.

"Food, horses…supplies…Now." And then promptly removed herself from the area in order to prevent being in the path of destruction for his next explosion of temper. 

Kel walked from the Inn to the edge of the harbor. It was early enough that many of the fishermen were just leaving to start their day. Kel sat in the quiet stillness of the moment and took it into her. She could feel them now; the tiny threads that destiny had woven around her. They cut at her, removing the old parts of her and leaving a new hybrid of the past, present, and the unknown future. In the still moments, with her mind elsewhere, she did not hear the gentle rhythmic shuffling of feet coming closer to her. A small unsteady voice broke her calm introspection.

"You can not change it now. Destiny weaves without sight or mercy." Kel turned to see an old woman standing behind her. The woman was far advanced in years, crippled with age, and swaying in the gentle breeze come off the ocean. 

"What do you mean?" Kel's voice was tight and dull…she didn't need any more meddling in her life right now.

"When a child is born the entirety of the God's come together to dye the threads that make the tapestry of each individual life. They do not use simple dyes of color. They pour out colors of feelings; Hope, Love, Faith, Sorrow, Joy, Peace, Restlessness, Fear. They pour our colors of the future; Death, Honor, Long Life, Family. When the threads are dyed for you they are given to their sister, Destiny, to weave. Destiny is a blind woman whose fingers are more gnarled then mind, but they are slender and without calluses. She sticks her hand into the basket and finds the thread that feels the most right to her. She takes that thread and attaches it to the colorless leader of life the primes her loom. She begins to weave, repeating the action every time she runs out of thread. When at last she is finished she shakes the masterpiece free and it becomes your life. Some however…like you I think…have only a half woven tapestry. I can't say if it is the half you have already live or the parts soon to come. The gift of The Sight was taken from me long ago." The woman shuffled a little closer and sat down on a narrow wall that Kel Had been resting her hip against.

Kel could feel an oddness pouring off the woman and the questions seemed to be inevitable.

"Who are you? How do you know me, Grandmother?" The woman shift deep blue eyes to her form and then back to the harbor.

"I am called Keela. I am the last of those who came from the sea. My father was the son of the first princess of this island. He taught me how to speak to the Goddess, how to live in harmony with her. My son is the current prince of the island, and I fear he will do more harm then good. He is weak. Ruled by his emotions, he's never lifted a sword to stand for anything a day in his life. He is…no that is not what you asked is it…I know you because the Wave Walker spoke to me last night, for the first time since the birth of my son some thirty years ago. She told me that you would come…that you would right this wrong. She told me to look for your collar…and to bring you to the palace this night to the royal ball." The woman rose gracefully and walked past Kel in an unhurried movement. 

" I will send a carriage for you tonight. It will pick you up and bring you to the palace. Where are you staying?"

"The inn just there." Kel pointed to the inn the was clearly visible from where they stood.

"Good, Good. I will send my servant to you and your men this afternoon with clothes for each of you. Then they carriage will pick all of you up at the hour of seven this evening and bring you to the palace." The woman began to walk away, but Kel asked one more question to call her attention back.

"Why do I need to go to the ball. I'm a warrior not some frilly hot house flower of the court, no offense. I would feel useless there. I would rather continue my plans and head to other side of the island today." Kel waited patiently for the Keela's measured response.

"You are right. I suppose that the ball might have yielded some new information, but you are the warrior not I. Since that is the case you will need these." From beneath her heavy cloak the woman withdrew a medium sized worn leather poach. 

When Kel opened it she was surprised to see a wealth of maps, detailing the island in a sharp feminine scrawl. She looked at Keela in confusion.

"From my days as a scout for the Royal Guard." The old queen moved quick when she wanted to and it seemed that now was one of those times. She moved swiftly and gracefully toward the palace with never a hesitation in her step. Kel smiled, The queen was no hot house flower either. 

The last of the supplies had been gathered when Kel returned to the inn. Kel kept the satchel of maps close at hand as they started away from the city and into the misty green of the Island's wilderness. She said nothing to the boys of her meeting with Keela, the old queen, instead she left them to their own devices as the city fell away behind them. 


	45. Chapter 45

Hey everyone! Thanks to sever writers Block this chapter has been a little slow coming. It's mostly fluff...as a reward!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!!

xoxoxoxo Unknownhacker1

* * *

They traveled slowly through the misty hills that surrounded the city

They traveled slowly through the misty hills that surrounded the city. The boys speaking in soft tones while Kel gazed off into the distance, her dreamy hazel eyes fixed on the sea as it faded from her view. She felt a smile unfurl its joy at the corner of her mouth, this was it…she was changing the world.

When she'd been a little girl…she'd dreamed of this… the road open before her and leaving a deep cut in the world's wrongs behind her. She dreamed of years on the road, of being a feared name to those who did wrong…to those who crushed the soul and body of her fellow man. This was her dream coming true…not the way she had planned…but still…this was it.

She looked up at the boys and saw that they were paying her no mind…so she quietly glanced down at her hands and the smile grew. There one her hands was the story of her life. It was written in scars and pain, but it was there in pale callused flesh.

The breeze carried a distant tune to her ears, it was heavy with lyre and drum…the blending of a slight woman's voice and the heavy sounds of a man, they harmonized over the glory of a Knight who left to fight and his promise to come back to the woman that he loved.

Kel looked to see where the tune was coming from, but the hillsides were empty. She tucked the tune into her heart and let it wash over her until a few moments later it faded as they entered the deep forest that divided the island in two.

The trail through the forest was wide and easy thought the trees that crowded in on the space made it seem very small. To Kel's eyes this was a dangerous place where an enemy could hide and never be found, where one could disappear. A shudder ran through her, but did little to remove dislodge the smile on her face.

The wind raced through the trees and dislodged Kel's hair from the long braid down her back, pulling out streamers to dance around her face. Dom looked back at the sound of a gentle laugh and his heart near stopped.

Kel sat atop the rented horse like a warrior queen. Her clothes plastered to her form by the same breeze that made he hair dance, her sword sheathed but glimmering at her hip, her face glowing with a contented smile and her eyes dancing. He felt all the breath leave his body as her eyes landed on him and she shyly meet his gaze. His Fae, his warrior, the queen of his heart…his Kel.

They traveled all day through the dense forest stopping only once to water the horses. Lyric explained that they would not make it the other side of the island unless they reached the old palace before the night was upon them. So they made there way, each one strangely contented by the sun, breeze, and company.

As the sun was departing from the sky they came upon the ruin of the old palace. All that was left above ground were the grand arches that had once framed the center courtyard. The forest had started to take back the place, each arch was green and slick with moss. The trees slowly encroached on places where walls had once stood and saplings grew in the open expanse of what was once a great hall. Lyric lead them to a small path that lead down into a room that at one time was underground. Now it was little more than a moss covered pit surrounded by open air and passages that had once lead to other important parts of the palace.

Kel felt the magic of this place and let it wash over her in a heady wave. She caught Dom's eyes again, but looked away at what she saw there. She did her best to ignore it as they set up came and ate a meal of cold meat and day old bread. Each time she glanced up from her food or from the fire Dom's eyes were locked on her. They would briefly caress her form before she would glance away with a blush stealing its way across her face. Black Jack noticed the gentle interplay but Lyric was caught in a new song he was writing so it slipped his notice.

It was only a short time later when Kel heard the song again. She looked around to find the singers but again no one kept company with them. She glanced up to see Dom standing; she waited a moment to see what he would do. When he took a step toward her she bolted toward the entrance of the chamber with a hearty laugh and a telling backward glance. Dom waited a moment then started after her.

Lyric looked a Black Jack in confusion, but all he got in explanation was a laugh.

_**Elsewhere in the palace**_

Kel raced blindly down hallways that had seen better days. Her breath was coming in quick pants and her hair was loose and flying behind her. She could see the stars racing along with her deep in the heaven's above. The song that filled her ears was stronger now…and she understood that it was part of the magic of this place. Dom turned a corner to see his love only a few paces ahead of him, he reached out his arm and pulled her back to his chest.

His head dropped to the crook of her neck and his lips caressed the skin there, as he drew deep breath, forever imprinting this moment on his heart. He spun her around to face him and backed her up so that she was pressed against the springy moss that covered everything. His eyes ensnared hers, neither blinked as he moved closer to her.

"Dom…" He was so close that when Kel spoke her lips gentle rubbed against his own and the word was whispered across this face. His heart swelled with love as he closed the last space between them. Their lips were sealed together, their bodies pressed tightly against one another, the world faded around them…

Leaving only them, the gentle breeze, the mysterious song, and the stars dancing overhead.


	46. Chapter 46

Sorry it's taken so long. Life doesn't really allow for much time to write anyone! were coming to the end of the story so stick with me. Hope to post another chapter in the next few days!!

XOXOXO

Unknownhacker1

* * *

Kel felt a breeze tickle her hair, shaking off sleep and dragging her into waking. The morning light was dim in the part of the ruins where her and Dom lay. Underneath her head his heartbeat called her back to sleep. The steady rhythm distracted her for a moment, drowning out the gentle tune gathering notes in the air. She breathed in the scent of the air around them... it was a heady mix earth and man... and a strange acrid scent that caught in her nose. The tune was louder now, growing in strength. When Kel heard it she raised her head and listened closely. It was different from the tune that had ghosted her all yesterday. This one was a dirge, a sad melody that darkened the morning and made the still air heavy. She breathed deep. The time the acrid scent filled her lungs drowning out all the other scents.

She stood quietly and moved away from Dom. Down the hall she came to a large doorway. Here the smell was overwhelming but she didn't notice. The doors in front of her held her entire attention. The ruins were of castle that once was, but here in this dark end of the passageway the decay had not encroached. A window high on the wall let light filter in. The walls were solid cold stone and in front of her two mahogany doors stood. They were ornately carved... marked the with the stories of those who had once called this great hall home. The tune was louder now drawing Kel in. She took a gentle step forward, the stillness of the stale air warned her that this was sacred untouched ground, but the song was persistent.

Kel's breathing was heavy but her heart kept time with the slow vibrating beat of the song as she placed her trembling hands on of the doors. Kel had expected some resistance as she tried to open it, but the door swung open on well oiled hinges. Here only dust marked that this placed was unused. More windows lines the walls. The room was bright in the rising sun. Illuminating rows and rows of low straight benches. Kel saw them out of the corner of her eyes but her focus was locked on the alter. A step divided the two spaces and in the center of the offering table was a single dried rose. Above the offering table where the statue of the God being worshiped would be, there was nothing, a tapestry hung there instead. It was not still like the rest of the temple, instead it fluttered in a un-felt wind. Kel took the small step in stride and rounded the table to get a better view of the scene depicted in the heavy embroidery of the tapestry. The wind stopped suddenly and Kel drew in a deep gasp of air.

There in blood red and pitch colored thread was the nightmare army. The picture was one that showed their dark forms surrounded in carnage. The world was a blaze around them and beneath their feet the bodies of hundreds were trampled into submission. Kel's eyes grew heavy with tears as the dream washed over her again pulling her to her knees. She felt Dom's death and her own as clearly as she had that night. She clutched the right side of her stomach.. the sharp pain coming from the ghostly wound gripping her tight. Her throat tightened as what it meant to die washed over her. When it came for her this time there would be no court of judges... no choice... just the Elysian shores and Black God willing a place in the sun.

Finally the vision faded and Kel was left alone in the temple save for the the ethereal wind. She rocked forward and rested her damp brow against the rough stone floor. Her tears would not abate... they came from the broken part of her soul that wanted nothing more then to be anything but she was. She felt the phantom ache in her side fade and her resolve strengthened. Her hands still trembled and her knees were unsteady as she forced her self upward. She rested a hand on her side, still conscious of the killing wound, but when she glanced at the picture again no vision overtook her. Now she was able to think clearly and searched the temple for any clue about who or what the nightmare creatures were. she turned fully around and saw the temple for the first time. It was grand and she could imagine the kind of wealthy nobles who had come here. The vaulted stone ceilings were painted with more pictures of the dark army. This time Kel studied each of the cities and the marches in detail searching for the clue that would give her the edge.

Her eyes landed on a small stack of books that were laid in the back corner of the room, barely visible from her angle, but clear enough to stand out to the trained observer. She moved carefully over to them, skirting the offering table and other alter trimmings. She gathered the books and sat carefully on the long unused bench, she opened the first when the stillness came again, this time making the air choking thick. She close the book and clutching the others close to her she ran from the temple. She had just passed the threshold when the strange wind howled in triumph and the doors slammed closed behind her. Kel sucked in a deep breath and forced the trembling from her limbs. She glanced at the door one last time before she made her way back down the hall toward where she'd left Dom. He was gone when she got back to the place where they had slept. Kel felt almost grateful. She didn't want to have to explain the books or the slight tremble, that remained despite her best wishes, until she had a moment to steady herself. She paused for a moment to collect herself, but then continued back toward the great hall where Black Jack and Lyric had stayed for the night. When she came closer she heard their raised voices.

"Why aren't you looking for her?" Lyric asked in harsh tones. Kel heard Jack laugh in response.

"I'm not looking because I know she won't have gone far and I don't want her to think that I think she can't take care of herself." Dom answered around what sounded like a mouth full of food. Kel sighed as love filled her heart finally forcing out the last of the fear from the strange temple. Her sigh drew the boys attention and a goofy smile from Dom.

She walked in a sat gentle beside the fire, setting the books on the floor beside her before kissing Dom on his lightly stubbed cheek. He glanced quizzically at the stack of dust books and the dust the was now clinging to her hair and shirt. She smiled and shifted a little closer. Dom's arm looped around her shoulders giving her security and comfort as she told them about the dream, the phantom tune, and the temple. Jack's face grew dim for a moment before it brightened again with a shake of his head. Lyric was furiously scribbling thoughts into a note book and Dom motioned in silence for her to follow him. They walked quietly into the hall where they had spent the night. Dom brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and brushed the little creases at the corner of her eyes.

"You should have told me." He said quietly into the space between them.

"I know. I was afraid... I think." Kel's voice tripped a little as Dom ran his hand down the length of her neck, over her chest, to the right side of her abdomen. The warmth of his palm burned her through her shirt, causing shivers to race along her spine. Dom looked her in the eye before kissing her on the forehead. He drew her gently into his arms and held in tightly. Kel snuggled in to his strong embrace and let his warmth and scent fill her senses. She was drifting off into a deep lull when the tune came to her again. This time heard it to. His muscles tightened and his arms crushed her to him.

"Kel?" his voice was deep and hesitant.

"You hear it to?" Kel's voice was soft and barely audible above the sound of the song. Dom nodded unable to speak loud enough to be heard over the growing ruckus. Finally a voice came through the heavy instrumentation.

"Hello Lovelies. Come dance with us. Join the ring." The voice was hypnotic and blended seamlessly into the melody. Kel turned in Dom's arms so she was facing the source of the tune and planted her feet firmly against the mesmerizing nature of the tune and invitation. The voice came again.

"I should have known that the un-chosen and the Black Gods blessed would be so firmly grounded against this old God. Stay a moment. I would have words." The tune stopped and now only the voice came to them. Accompanied by the ragged barely visible form of a man with a youthful face and dancers clothes.

"My name is Zephinia. I was once a God in these parts before the Singultus came and destroyed us. Those who lived worship only the dark powers of the earth and the Singultus themselves. That is why I drew you to the temple. There time is coming again and you will need the tools to fight them... or you will die... and the world will fall with you. I can not give you more than I have and I must ask a favor." He paused and drew a deep breath. His form wavered on intangible. When he spoke again he was little more than a wisp of smoke.

"The Old Ones made me one of their patron gods... but they are all gone now... whipped out by the Singultus. Every day I grow weaker and weaker until I will be nothing more than a shadow in the realm of the Gods and I will not exist here. This was my home and I long to stay in it's halls. I ask only that you remember me and tell your friends and family of me... that even for a moment they will know I am here." His voice was weak and there was no sign of him in the space before them.

"We will." Kel's voice was strong and true, ringing out into the empty space of the corridor.

"Thank you." A breathy whisper floated to her ears and a gentle ghost caress smoothed her hair. Kel and Dom stood in silence for a moment both saddened by the Forgotten God and confused by the name he had called Dom. There silent contemplation was broken by Jack's loud call.

"Let's Go boys and Girl, We have another half a days ride to the other side of the island." Kel stepped from Dom's arms and started toward the hall, his hand gripped tight in hers.

* * *

Please review. Should I keep going?


	47. Chapter 47

**Hey Everyone! Sorry this chapter is so short... again Life interfered!**

**I know I never do this but... Here is a shout out to a couple of faithful reviews who encouraged me and threatened to fish-slap me.**

**Sassyani -Thanks for the nice review**

**xxTunstal Chickxx - I am going to keep at it. Hopefully we will reach the conclusion soon and I can get started on the squeal. Kel's return to Tortall.**

**Mist Magic- Thanks!**

**and last but not least:**

**Rouge-writer-16: Please don't fish-slap me... that is the stuff of nightmares! (:**

* * *

Lyric lead them from the ruins that morning back into the deep wood and down a meandering game trail that he swore would lead them to the other side of the island. Kel viewed all of this with a calm eye and a half smile. It was one of those slow rare moments where the world is comically peaceful and joy is the only thing that can truly be felt. Sadness, Fear, anxiety all fade to the background and sulk because they are useless and ignored on days like these. Kel glanced at Dom who was common now cracking jokes with Jack. She supposed the do-gooders and Pirates could make friends if both parties were willing to laugh. There robust laughter and wide smiles held her attention for a moment, but a movement from the front of the group drew her attention. Lyric had now withdraw his lyre and was gently strumming while humming a catchy little tune, apparently leaving his horse to find the way. Kel felt laughter bubble up in her, she tried to stop, fought it as valiantly as she had any foe, but alas she was powerless before it. From her lips burst first a kind of whistle as she tried to clamp her lips together, followed closely by a hardy laugh. The boys looked at her startled by the sudden outburst, but that simply added to her hysteria. Smiles grew wider and when her laughter finally died... kel's eyes were watering and she was breathing raggedly.

"Are you done, now?" Jack asked with a smile and a wink.

**_With Tomas_**

There was no position that he could shift his body into that did not make the pain worse, so he finally settled on sitting in the farthest corner that he could and ignoring it. He glanced down at his bleeding wrists and felt the heavy iron chain clutching him, it did not just imprison his body but his soul as well. He knew that things were going to get better, but he was afraid that he would be unable to see them come to fruition. After all he had committed treason... and that was an offense punishable by death. His mother meant to kill him as an example of what happened to those who betrayed her. He dropped his head to rest on his knees and felt the cold of his prison was over him. Though the island was choking hot and humid here in the belly of his mothers prison there was no light and no heat. He shifted his head so that his ear was pressed to his knees and his eyes could roam over his small cell freely. This was the only building that his mother always insisted was built of stone. A massive series of rooms cut from the shoreline. Sometimes the cell would be come flooded with sea water or collapse in on themselves, but she didn't care. She said that it destroyed the spirit to know that freedom was so close but completely unreachable. His eyes landed on the bolt that attached his shackles to the wall. The space around it was worn and scratched from the attempts of prisoners before him. He knew that it was no use...

He felt tears fill his eyes for a moment but he swiftly blinked them away, he wouldn't let her know that she was breaking him. Today when the guards came to beat him and tomorrow when they came to take him to the execution yard he would hold his head high. He would look each spectator and guard in the eye and when his mother came to read the charge against him... he would not look down as the law dictated. No... he would stare at her with the eyes of a dead man.

**_In Tortall_**

Beltane was in full swing but the new addition this year was not another treat or dance step... or even free drinks... it was stories. It seemed that Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan was the real star of the Beltane festivities... and the secret hero that kept the monsters at bay in the rooms of little boys and girls all over Tortall. Jonathan watched his people with joy. Sometime sneaking out to the Dancing Dove to see what had changed and to speak in hushed tones with Marek. Who seemed to be the only one to give him concise information on what was happening to the Wayward knight. Jonathan understood his jealousy now, his rash behavior, and the hurt he had caused his friends and loved ones with his behavior. He'd spent time reaching out to them again, trying to reform the tight inner circle that was his foundation. Surprisingly, Raoul was the hardest to win back. Alanna seem to accept that he was an ass... but Raoul took his behavior as a personal affront. He viewed Keladry as friend, colleague, and in many ways as he would a daughter. Jon sighed deeply and wondered to himself how things had gotten so far off course.

**With Kel**

They had laughed their way through and entire way of travel, but when the crested the final rise Kel felt all of the laughter and Joy rush from her body. She hated killing in cold blood it made her no better than a murderer... but she understood now that life often gave you uncomfortable paths and didn't leave any room for fear or moral standing. Below them was the enemy city. She could see it infecting the water and earth turning everything it touched into filth. Kel already felt the grime of it coating her lungs, but a deal was a deal.

* * *

**Short I know... but please review anyway... LOTS of action in the next couple chapters!!**


	48. Chapter 48

Hey guys!! sorry for the long wait... Life again!

I'll try to update again soon!

* * *

Kel and her faithful band of followers sat for a moment as they observed the tumorous expanse of humanity below them. Kel's mind drifted back to the glittering cities of Tortall. Yes, they were grimy and filled with refuse same as this but... something was different about those shimmering memory cities... they seemed to glow in Kel's eyes. Kel was the first to move her horse down the slope toward the heart of the city. There was no paving to mark the road, in fact it seemed that there was little regard for organization, little effort to make the city livable. Kel and the others navigated there way through the teaming mass of carts, people, animals, and waste that marked the entrance into the city. Either side, if they could be called that was marked by wood and cloth lean tos. They were interconnected, all sharing three common walls with other "homes". The roofs were slats of wood covered with sun bleached fabric. The people that Kel could see were lean with hunger. The edges of the lean tos were swarmed with prostitutes and young boys and girls that Kel would bet her sword were pick pockets and thieves. Kel's heart beat a little faster, this was no way to live... this was not how things were meant to be. She couldn't say that she'd seen the way life should be, after all even Tortall had problems...but she knew that there was more than this. Kel's long hair stirred lightly in the breeze coming off the ocean, carrying with it fresh air that did little to move the malignant mass of humanity that made this place. Kel breathed deep, drawing peace into the core of her being and pulling on her Yamani mask. Now was not the time to seem weak. Kel could see what appeared to be the command post carved into and built up on a rocky section of the shore. The waves had already started to reclaim the atrocity. Where they crashed against the fortress walls mossy sea weed and barnacles held on for dear life. In places were the water spilled over into cells, carved into the rock, the waves carried with them debris and sand, slowly refilling the scar that the building left on the coastline. Kel nodded to her companions, motioning her head in the direction of the building. They understood, no words needed to be spoken for the message to be clear... they were headed right into the heart of it. Kel maintained the lead as they came to the "palace" of the conquerors. She came at last to the door of the fortress and called out in a clear voice.

"I demand a word with the one who calls herself ruler of this barbarous lot."

It seemed that only moments after the words flew from her lips the entire street market stopped moving. There was not a sound...

"Who are you to make such demands?"

The voice was gravely over used, it could have been pretty at one time but years of abuse had made it more a growl then a voice.

"I am Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. The Protector of the Small, who makes wagers with Gods and kills kings. Who comes to you now to demand your immediate surrender or single combat to determine whom the Gods favor this day and who is the better between us."

Kel waited. Still there was no sound.

"I have heard you were coming. You are just in time. Before I run you through on my blade and let your entrails be decorations for my soldiers to strew about my tent, you will get to witness the execution of a traitor."

The voice now had a face and body to accompany it. Standing on what appeared to be a platform cut from the same rock as the fortress stood a women, the Queen of the Conquerors. This was no beauty queen. Her body was tan from years in the sun, but worn. The muscle that marked her as a fighter was losing tautness and it's shape was slowly fading into lumps of sun burnt flesh. Her hair was cropped close to her head, much like Kel's had been before Ezekiel's gift. It was hard to tell the color when it was cropped so close but Kel would guess that it was black, to match the thick no nonsense eyebrows that framed eyes of empty black ice. She wore old style armor, something Kel had only ever seen in books back in Tortall. Tkaa called it the armor of the Conquering Hordes. It was a fitted leather top covered with heavy silver studs, the bottom was a leather skirt that came to rest at the knee. The leather here was covered with studs as well. Kel could see the reason behind the design. In this heat regular armor would be a death trap... but that was perfect for the temperature and gave the wearer room to move. Kel sighed in longing, she would have to fight in what she wore... no armor, no extras... just her tunic and breeches.

Kel's momentary lapse in attention went unnoticed, the Queen was bringing out the prisoner... who Kel immediately recognized.... Tomas

"No..."

Kel's voice trailed off, it was caught in the wind and carried away... but the Queen looked her way sharply.

"You know who this is? Hmmm, I should have figured."

She snapped her fingers and Tomas was dragged to the edge of the even part of the rock that they stood on. Here there was a gallows pole with the noose already attached. Instead of a platform with a whole cut in it for the prisoner to drop through, this one dangled out over the edge of the rock. Not much distance would remain between the prisoner and the ground, only about 4 feet... but it was enough. Kel felt her throat close slightly at the state of Tomas, his broken body more carried and dragged by the guards then able to move on it's own, and the idea that he might die right before her eyes. The Queen eyed her for a moment more, then addressed the gathering crowd.

"This whore has come to steal my kingdom from me. She spits in the face of everything that we stand for. She is an abomination that turns this ungrateful, worthless, whelp of a child into a traitor against our Nameless Gods and against his Queen."

The crowd murmured, but Kel noted that they were whispers of displeasure with their queen...

'Interesting...' Kel thought to herself. 'Let's see what kind of trouble we can stir up.'

"You are wrong."

Kel's voice was loud and clear, carrying over the rising tones of the crowd. The Queen snapped her eyes back to Kel, she opened her mouth to speak but Kel didn't give her the chance.

"I am here to right your wrongs. On the other side of this very island is a thriving city where your people might be able to find lives and homes... but you keep them here like cattle. You play at war... you say that you will stop when you find a place that your Gods ordain... but you have the lust in you. The lust for more and it is killing your people and destroying everything that they once held dear. Your women have given themselves over to prostitution to buy food, your men are weak and their sword arms grow weary at the weight of their weapons, your youth are given to theft from those who have less then they do... You are killing them."

Kel took a chance and turned her mount toward the people, placing the Queen at her back.

"I can show you a better way to live... one that is filled with real houses, education for your children, food in your bellies... roots...but you must stand against those who oppress you. Rise up and take what is yours! Rise up and take the life you want!"

Kel's voice rose at the end to counter the rising tide of noise. The crowd was with her, Kel turned back to the red faced Queen and spoke loudly.

"I will ask you again. Do you surrender or submit yourself to single combat?"

The queen smirked and drew a long blade from the sheath at her hip.

"You will have your single combat. While you lay dying at my feat, I will kill you friends. Then just before the Dark God comes for you I will remove your head from your shoulders and send it back to your king. Then when all is said and done... You death will prove to be a waste... because I will set my eyes on the glittering jewel of your homeland, and take it for my own."

* * *

Please review...


	49. Chapter 49

Thanks for your patience!!!

* * *

Kel paused for a moment. She knew that the Queen's threat was empty but she still felt the threat to her homeland like a dagger straight into her heart. She missed home. Kel turned her face away from the Queen again and spoke once more to the crowd.

"This is the life you want? Speak up! Raise your voice! Now is the moment to grasp the freedom offered to you!!"

Kel glanced briefly toward were Tomas knelt beside the gallows pole. His eyes locked with hers and she felt her voice surge out of her.

"Look what she has done to her own children, look what she does to yours.... she will kill all the earth that she lands on and then make you move on to the next place. Do you remember what it means to live in peace?"

Kel drew her sword from the scabbard at her waist and held it aloft.

"I have challenged her and she has yet to come down to meet me in the field of battle. She is afraid to show her might, she hides behind the bodies of her soldiers. Is that the kind of leader you want?" It was almost impossible to hear Kel's parade voice over the din of the crowd. The queen started down a short set of stone stairs toward her and the crowd. When a cry rose from the assembled mob. It was carried through the crowd on a breeze and they murmured their agreement.

"Let the Prince fight her."

"Let Tomas fight."

"Let the boy lead us... he has always been better to us then his mother."

"Cut his bonds and give him a sword he will handle this."

"SILENCE"

The queen shouted over the din. Her voice carried in a way that Kel couldn't help but be a little jealous of. She looked at her people and knew that she was would have to give them what they asked for or they would rip the palace apart, stone by stone. She had returned to the flat platform where her son knelt. Kel looked at Tomas again. His breathing was ragged and his hands were clenched in rage. His dark eyes were locked on his mother.

The queen held up her hand for the crowd to quiet themselves. When a hush fell over them, she spoke. Her voice had taken on a concerned tone, but Kel's trained ear could hear the fabricated emotion that tinted the falsetto. It was the same fake care that Kel had experienced as a page in the palace.

"My People, my people..." The Queen trailed off looking out over them. "I will submit myself to this trial, knowing that the God's will protect me for I have done no wrong by you. You let a traitor decide the fate of this country, that is your choice, but know that when I kill him the blood is on your souls, I will wash my hands of it." She nodded to the guards to cut Tomas' bonds. He fell forward on quivering arms, for a moment Kel was worried that this was a bad plan, but Tomas slowly got himself to his feet and met Kel's eyes. The rage their chilled her soul. She reached out and clutched Dom's hand, he had moved closer as the Queen spoke. One of the guards handed Tomas his sword with a subtle nod. The queen watched all of this with a clenched jaw.

"Well, Son, shall we?" She raised her sword to the guard position and slid her feet into a perfect stance. Kel's heart beat a little faster. Tomas didn't speak. He raised his sword, and squared his stance. The queen made the first move. She darted in quickly, faking a thrust to the right, and plunging her sword into Tomas left shoulder. She drew back, not ready to end this or press her advantage. Tomas rolled his shoulder and his face contorted briefly then returned to a mask of anger.

"Come, boy, I taught you better than that." The queen taunted as she tapped her sword against Tomas' testing his guard strength. The circled each other, still Tomas said nothing.

The queen thrust in, but this time Tomas was ready and rolled his hip with the thrust, throwing his mother off balance. She regained her footing with barely enough time to block Tomas' overhead chop, the weight and force of the blow forced her knees to bend and her arms to strain. She dropped and rolled away. Tomas pursued her. The crowd cheered as Tomas continued to press his advantage. The queen looked dismayed at this turn of events. She motioned to her guards, but no one moved. This fight was long overdue and everyone knew it.

"Alright Son you want to do this the hard way? Fine."

The queen danced out of Tomas' way and moved along side of him. All of the breath escaped Kel's body. The Queen moved in for the killing blow, but Tomas was ready with his sword in hand. One quick turn, and a fast but powerful slash and the queen pulled away. From her right shoulder to her left hip stretched a long bloody gash. The Queen's sword arm trembled as she lifted it to defend herself. It was the last thing she did. Tomas was swift and made powerful by anger built up from years of his mother's abuse. The blow removed her head from her body. Both fell to the floor in the silence that followed.

"I am no son of yours." Tomas dropped his sword and walked to the edge of the platform to face the gathered masses.

"I submit myself to your will. I have killed the Queen. I will lead you to freedom if you will let me."

The silence persisted for a moment before a thunderous cheer rose from the streets.

"LONG LIVE THE KING."

"GODS ALL BLESS TOMAS THE FAIR"

"HUZZAH...."

Kel felt her heart rise and soar with the spirits of the crowd. She drew her sword and raised it aloft shouting with the others, praises and congratulations to the new king. A shiver of awareness raced down Kel's spine and her horse's flanks quivered in anticipation. There in the crowd stood two women, who were not cheering with the others. One Kel knew… the Wave Walker herself stood amongst the people of the Muroc… which comforted Kel. The other was a beauty so fair in complexion that she seemed to have no features or hair. Her eyes were fully white, having no iris or pupil to mark them. She turned her pale head to meet Kel's level gaze… the air left Kel's lungs… in the moment of connection to those ghostly eyes… she saw the future… the battle to come.

* * *

More to come... Please Review!


	50. Chapter 50

Kel knew the pale figure from the Yamani legends. The guide to the dead, the Spirit Goddess who carried the souls of the fallen to the sunny shores of Paradise… or down into the depths of the endless night. The Yamani name for this pale vision was Chiyoko, the Goddess of a thousand souls. Kel looked away first and lowered her eyes in respect to the Goddess.

Dom, still beside her despite the commotion, noticed the change in her demeanor. He followed her line of sight and locked eyes on Chiyoko. His breathing grew labored, his skin felt flushed and his heart beat out of control. He felt something dragging on his body, a kind of unseen hand grabbing at his skin. He tried to stay focused but whatever force gripped him, made his mind disorganized. He opened his mouth to call out for help, but the force gripped him tighter. The pale Goddess did not look away; she locked her colorless gaze on his and held him captive by his soul. Holding his eyes to her own. Darkness crowded the edges of his vision. His eyesight grew blurry; his last thought was that dying was such a strange sensation, then… nothing.

Kel felt Dom's presence beside her, but she thought nothing of it. He had always been there… right beside her. She watched Chiyoko from beneath the veil of her lashes. She noticed when the Goddess' gaze shifted away from her. The Goddess seamed to be gazing into the space at Kel's right… the place that Dom now occupied. The Goddess seemed to be affected by something that she saw. Her body was tense and her pale endless eyes unblinking. Kel glanced at Dom, to see if he had noticed. She sat straighter when she saw him, and reached toward him knowing that something was wrong. His eyes were glazed over and his breathing was shallow and arduous. Her hand touched his shoulder just as his eyes closed and his body slumped forward over the saddle horn. His horse shuttered and danced as the weight on his back shifted abruptly. Kel screamed for help, tears pooling in her eyes… but no one could hear her over the roar of the crowd. She screamed louder, crying out with all that she was worth, but no help was coming. Her heart beat so hard she feared it would explode. She moved her free hand to touch his neck checking for the feel of his heart beat… but she could find no heartbeat and no sign that he was drawing breath into his limp body. Dom was dead.

*** In Tortall***

Jonathan sat quietly at his desk. It had once been his father's and Jon could remember sitting across from his father, the vast distance of the dark imposing desk dividing them. Every time that he butted heads with the King, this is were he was brought. When he was younger, it was only occasionally, but after his mother got sick… his father pulled away. The only time they talked was to yell at each other across the stately antique desk that had borne the worry of every Tortallian king for the last two hundred years. When his father died, Jon had left the desk right where it sat his whole life. Hoping that it would remind him of those who had gone before him.

Jon, rested his elbows on the edge of the desk, they fell into deep ruts in the hard wood, made from years of the same motion. His head fell to his hands and his eyes closed. In front of him the totals of death related to war with Scanra. After a treaty had been negotiated with the new king, Jon had felt it was time to celebrate those who had died to protect their country. He had called for lists to be made of all who had been injured in battle, died in the field, lost life, limb, and hearth to the invading horde. The numbers broke his heart. He wanted to burn each name into his mind so that he would understand the cost of war for as long as he had breath in his body.

The saddest thought that came to him in the darkness, was the thought that this was not the last time that he would call for his people to fight and die for their homes. There amongst the list was the proof that a darkness was gaining power in other parts of the world. Jon's gut cried out that if the darkness could not be stopped before it reached the boarder of Tortall; the number of dead would far outweigh the numbers that burdened him now.

*** Back on the Island***

Kel leapt from the saddle. An act some might have considered daring considering that she did not remove either hand from Dom's body. Her patient horse didn't move as she shifted both her legs to one side and jumped to the ground. She slid Dom's body from the saddle and laid him gently on the packed dirt of the road. She calmed her breathing and pushed all her emotions to the back of her mind, calling up her Yamani mask to help stop her hands from shaking and to give her a clear view of the situation. It was harder this time then it had ever been before. Kel reached down and held her hand gently a hairs breath above Dom's mouth. No air stirred there. She moved the palm of her hand right below his nose and waited. Here to the air was still. Kel's own breathing was once again becoming ragged as the force of her emotions waged war against her Yamani training. Kel carefully leaned down and pressed her ear to Dom's chest. Hoping beyond all reason that she would hear his heart. Though the ruckus around them dominated her hearing Kel focused intently all her thought on the ear pressed tightly to his chest. The other sounds faded into muffled noise as Kel waited for any sound, but there was nothing to speak of her love's life. A sob erupted from her throat. It pried her clenched jaw loose and ripped past her lips, heartbroken it rode the gulf streams to the heavens.


	51. Chapter 51

This is for all the readers who have put up with late updates and poor spelling.... Thank you! (:

I own nothing... (;

* * *

Dom opened his eyes.

A bright light blinded him.

He quickly shut them again and tried to remember where he was and what had happened. He remember the fight between Tomas and his mother, he remembered seeing Kel astride her horse her long hair blowing in the breeze, her face alight. He was hazy about what came next.

He opened his eyes again. This time slow, so the light wouldn't blind him. When his eyes were finally open and his had adjusted he saw only the clear pale blue of the noon sky. He could hear the sound of waves pounding on the sand. He slowly raised himself from his prone position and looked around him.

Beneath him, the sand was warm and golden hued. The waves were low and the breeze coming of the water was cool. Behind him, the forest was dark and endless. He knew this place from his childhood. His older sister had loved the ocean. She had been sick most of his life, a frail pale child with wide pale eyes, but when she was at the shore, the moment her feet touched the water she came alive, she was free from her illness. When he was younger, his father built a home on the shore so that every morning she could wake to the ocean and go to sleep each night to the sound of the waves dancing on the sand.

His sister would often sneak into his room in the morning, before any of the house servants were awake. She would hurry him out of bed and the two of them would sneak of to the ocean. Out the side door, through the courtyard they would run as if the very hounds of hell were chasing them. When they reached the beach both would lift their voices to the newly rising sun. They would dancing in the retreating tide, welcome the day with laughter and abundant joy that even to this day resonated within him.

His sister would lock her pale eyes on him and with a wide smile would ask

"What do you see on the horizon? Is that the place in the sun? The place where souls pass from this world and come back to dance in the rays of the sun?"

Dom never understood when he was a child, never understood that those days on the beach would be his last with her. She would close her eyes at night with a murmured pray to the Dark God, "When you come for me, give a place by the sea."

She died when he was still a boy. Barely a lad of more then 12. He understood what she meant then… and the day they buried her, he didn't attend the funeral. He came to the shore and ran into the waves, letting them crash around his hips before he stopped. Lifting his eyes to the horizon line, he called out to the God of Death.

"Give her a place in the sun, a place where the land meets the sea. Where she can be free…" He never knew when his parents had joined him there on the shore, but when he walked in from the ocean, they waited for him and embraced him with whispers of love.

Now, Dom stood and looked out at the ocean, at this place he had not been since her death. He remembered what happened before he came to this place.

He remembered the pounding of his heart, the tightness in his chest… the end of his life.

A voice broke his introspection.

"Come, Domitan. We have much to talk about." Dom turned and saw cloaked figure standing behind him. The figure spoke softly as a father might to a son resounding love filled the words.

"Who are you?" Dom asked his voice tight.

"You know who I am. Come now. We have much to discuss and little time to do so." The figure moved away from Dom, leading the way.

Dom waited for a moment, trying to figure out if he truly knew this dark figure. His eyes danced across the shore and his eyes found the form of a girl, young… still in the prime of her adolescence dancing in the waves laughing as the water embraced her ankles. Dom shook his head and closed his eyes. This dark figure was Death; he had come to the end… these were the white shores of the Elysian Fields.

Dom's drew a deep breath, opened his eyes, and moved to follow the God of Death who waited for him a little way up the shore.

As Dom reached him, Death turned into the forest and lead him away from the shore and the dancing girl.

Dom and Death walked quietly for a short time through the dense undergrowth of the forest. This was the same as it had been when he was a child. Dom smiled a soft sad half smile, not at all surprised that at the end of his life this is where his soul longed to be. Soon Death entered a small clearing where a canopy stretched to cover the cleaning. Strangely, the center of the canopy had been cut away, leaving the edges of the cleaning covered and the center exposed to the sky.

Death walked forward with Dom in tow, until they stood in the center of the cleaning under the opening. Dom looked up and gasped. The sky above them was a mix of night and day. On one side, the moon shone and brilliant star glistened in the endless sky. On the other, the bright sun filled the sky with its radiant light, the sky was cloudless, and the lightest blue Dom had ever seen.

Death spoke.

"Dom, I have brought you hear to tell you the truth of the matter. To give you the tools that you will need to save those that you love." Dom drew his eyes away from the sky above them and locked them on the hooded figure speaking to him.

"You may not know this, my child, but you are one of my chosen." Dom raised an eyebrow, as he might to Raoul when he said something sarcastic or humorous.

Death seemed to understand what the gesture meant. Death raised small human hands to stop the flow of questions about to bubble forth from Dom's mouth.

"You are, I have known you all of your life. I have watched the tapestry of your life being weaved and loved you as a father. I have no desire to see those beings that I have guarded and stewarded for all these centuries kill themselves in senseless wars and the squabbles that come from petty things. You are a warrior, but your heart does not call out for death or bring shame to those you kill. You bare the weight of the slain with quiet dignity and honor each for the life they lived." Death paused at the look on Dom's face.

"You don't understand that's okay. Just know that I have chosen you to help end the senseless death coming." Death paused and in the break, Dom jumped in.

"What do you mean by 'guarded and stewarded?' You're death… don't you… want us to die?" Dom was utterly confused. Death motioned for Dom to sit and followed suit, folding into tailor style before answering.

"Domatin, I don't want you to die. I do not want anyone to die, but it happens. Without me, life would loose that sweet urgency. Without me, wars would last for eons and no one would remember why they fought. Love and friendship would be without value, and life itself would loose the spark that drives humans to live to the fullest. Like The Dream King, I live partly in the Realm of the Gods and partly in the Realm of Men. I watch men toil in the earth trying to grow things, watch them learn who they are, what them play on the beach in the early hours of the morning. Watch them offer prayers for those who have gone before them with reverence and joy in their hearts. I have fallen in love with the Realm of Men. Though sometimes you forget the value of life… and wage war against each other… you learn it again and for a generation, perhaps two, war is abolished from the world and the Realm of Men is at peace. That is why I have brought you here…"

Dom interrupted.

"Aren't I dead?" His voice cracked a little, remember all that he had left behind.

"No, Domitan. You are not dead. You are in my Realm because you cannot speak to the God of the Dead unless you are no longer of the living. I had to bring you here so that I could speak to you face to face… so that you can better understand your role in the coming storm."

The Dark God raised a small hand and presented Dom with a small leather bound volume. Dom opened the pages and found a scribbling of ancient words that he could not read.

"Give that to the wizard. You know him as Numair. He will know what to do with it. Now… as to what is coming. An army grows in the heart of the darkness. In a cave deep in the North of the world, over the pass at the roof of the world, in a place that no man has set foot for nearly five hundred years a nearly unstoppable force is gathering arms to wage war on the world. They are soldiers of an ancient warlord, who traded their mortality for power and strength. However, the Priestess who bound them to the world of the living tricked them. They are now little more than black forms; nothing remains of their human selves. When the time comes they will march across the known world, ravaging the earth and destroying all who stand between them and their goal."

"What is it that they want?" Dom's heart cried out, such senseless violence and death, all because of the greed of man.

"To have the world burning at their feet." Death reached out a hand to touch the center of Dom's forehead with two fingers.

"You, my child, will have to stop them. You will need to stand beside Keladry. Trust her and trust your heart. For there in lies your true strength. You are made great by your capacity to love. When I return you to your body, you must leave the Island of the Wave Walker and travel north for a short distance. You will come to the Yamani Islands soon enough, there you will meet the chosen of the Dream King. They will know the next place that you must travel too…" Death drew back the hand and waited for Dom to respond.

"Why? Shouldn't we just travel back to Tortal so that we can help them prepare. And why are we going to see a chosen of the Dream King?" Dom grew slightly angry that more tasks lay between them and protecting Tortal from the coming battle.

"I have laid this path out for you Domitan; I know that it makes no sense to you, but trust that I have your best interests at heart. You will be back in Tortal right when you need to be. As to why you need a follower of the Dream King on your side… we are in this together. The Priestess who gave this army, the Elhullot, its power was a servant of a lesser god, known as the God of Fantasy. Harmless sounding, but dreams and fantasies themselves are dangerous when they dominate life, when one forgets to live and becomes tangled in them, they become as dangerous as swords. The Priestess was human and when she died, she came to my realm… that was enough for me. The abomination she created in the name of her God… that is the problem. The Great Gods that rule our two worlds will have nothing to do with destroying the Elhullot… for they are the children of a lesser God and thus are not truly dangerous." Death stood and walked away from Dom for a moment.

"After all if men slaughter one another… what concern is it of theirs?" Death spoke facing in the dark of the wood.

"I stand at a precipice. The time has come for men to know the value of life and death… and you," Death turned back to Dom, "will show them."

Dom opened his mouth to speak, but the dragging sensation that he remembered from before he came had started again. Stronger, this time, than it had been last time. He looked to Death but the clearing had faded and now he stood once more on the shore. The adolescent that had danced along the shore before came closer. It was his sister and when she was only five or so feet from him, she spoke.

"Goodbye Dom. Tell Mother and Father I'm free." She danced away, her laughter echoing as his vision grew dark…

* * *

Please Review!


	52. Chapter 52

Dom felt the dark shift. It was different from the dark that had overtaken him upon his death. Compared with that all consuming pitch, this was a pale grey hue. Dom felt something wet on his chest, and the discomfort of being laid out on a hard lumpy surface.

He wanted to open his eyes, wanted to know where he was, but he couldn't move. His body was bone tired and he couldn't bring himself to break away from the sleep that was calling out to him. Drawing a deep breath, He let the dream world take him.

Kel had watched in a hazy catatonic state as Tomas pushed his way through the crowd and took control of the situation. Guards were ordered to lift the body and bring it into the palace. Kel was gently lifted from the ground and quietly lead inside behind Dom's still form. Lyric and Jack had joined them at some point, but Kel could hardly remember when. All she could think was how much she wanted to cry and she wanted to feel nothing.

This was not the first time this thought had occurred to her and she was sure that it wouldn't be the last. Despite her Yamani mask Kel had always felt too much. It was her curse she supposed, but like a good Yamani she kept her emotions closed inside and played the warrior stoic. She just didn't have the strength to do that this time. Her mask was laying in pieces back there in the street. Tomas had wanted to put Dom in the cold dark hole dug for preservation of bodies, but the thought of Dom disappearing into the dank hole with who knows who else broke her momentarily from her stupor. Screaming she demanded that the guards take him to her room. Tomas agreed and left her and the body alone. 'To grieve' he said as he closed the door behind himself.

Kel didn't know how to grieve… she didn't know how to say goodbye to the man she had loved. All the uncompleted parts of their relationship filled her eyes, waking up together, actually going on a date together, laughing together over Neal's face when he found out… living their lives together. She rested her head on Dom's chest and let exhaustion win, drifting to sleep even as tears streamed down her ghostly pale cheeks.

Kel woke a little later, the muscles in her neck screamed in protest as she sat up slightly. The room was dark and silent but it barely registered in Kel's mind. Her heart beat was slow and steady despite the pain that filled her from head to toe. She reached out with a trembling hand and ran her fingers gently from the crown of Dom's hair, right where his dark hair ended, down across his forehead, between his eye brows and over the bridge of his sharp nose. Finally she rested her hand on his lips. With a deep sigh she pulled her hand away and rested her lips on his for a moment. A single tear ran down her cheek and onto her lips. She started to pull back but a gentle hand on the side of her face shocked her.

"Dom…?" Her voice barely came out. She leaned back and her eyes met his.

"You were dead." Her eyes grew heavy and liquid filled them. Her mind was spinning and her heart was racing. Dom ran his fingers lovingly over face, a wide smile on his face.

"I wasn't dead. I just needed to talk to the Dark God. Beside, Love, I wouldn't leave you here alone." His smile was matched by her watery one. Dom leaned up and kissed her eye lids, then gently whipped the tears from her damp cheeks.

"We have all the time in the world together. I promise you." His face was right in front of her own and his hands gently framed her face. Kel sniffled and kissed the palms of Dom's hands.

"What did the Dark God say?" Kel's voice was light filled with renewed hope. Dom's eyes grew serious and he slid over so Kel could sit next to him on the bed. When she did, he turned to look her and spoke.

"We have a lot of work to do… and I don't think we have a lot of time…" Dom's eyebrows came together sharply. Kel reached up and smoothed them out gently.

"We'll do it together. You and me… and Jack and Lyric… All of us." Kel smiled.

Dom kissed her lightly on her lips and smiled.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!

LOOK for the Sequel: The Root of Courage

COMING SOON!!!!


End file.
